Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-02-01
GROUND-HOG DAY.
prov is grounding day !

Tomorrow is grounding day
It is useless to repeat here the legend
that, should the sky be fair and the ground
hog, emerging from his hole, see his
shadow, there will be six weeks more OF
winter. It is sacred to every Virginian,
and when thing is sacred to Virginian
the rest of the world but makes a vandal
horde (see Virginia papers of 1S6O-1S65
passina) of itself when it treats it with dis
respect, and a Northern barbarian (vide
abidena) when it treats the traditions OF our
fathers (vide ut supra) with levity. 1t is
legend that is fixed in the mind of every
true Virginian, and that can be neither re-
pudiated nor forcibly adjusted. 1t is true
that this grounding has been so forgetful
OF State pride as to appear sporadically
in other States; that even in West Vir-
ginia. State which has so far taken no
notice of the one-third of the debt we have
assigned her, it is claimed by press. evs +
anxious to appropriate the glory of old
Virginia, that he has at divers times appear
ing from under various logs and rocks, and
given sign and token of the coming win
ter. But whatever may have been his
lapses in this respect, and they are but
few, it is well understood that it is only in
Virginia the sacred porker has appeared to
the best advantage.
And now, after centuries of confidence
and security in possessing the only true
and reliable prophet of the weather, Vir-
ginia wakes up to find a rival. Kentucky,
rude and bal barouS child of the Old
Dominion, with unflial clamor is calling
for men to turn from the ancient land
marks and bow down and W. rshipthe goose
bone. A hereto editor, aided and melted
thereto 10y the evil one, is holding aloft the
goose-bone to att, act the gay and thought
less from the faith of the fathers. This eff
fort to drag Virginia from her high posi-
ton as the possessor Of the only prophet of
snow and cold and March winds; to des-
troy the faith transmitted to us by the
fathers of the Republic (atded in some de.
gree by the mothers); to substitute the
breast-bone of dead goose-the most fool
ish of birds-for living and breathing
porker, must be resisted in time if we
would save the credit and honor of the old
State (See VINDICAToR editorials, any
time in the last six months
In this conflict no Vrginian can be neu-
trail. He who is not for the ground hog is
against him. Let us remember that to-
morrow is an eventful day for Virginia
The Kentuckian, with his goose-bone, is at
your door. Let us prepare to swear the
old Virginia institution, through no mat
ter what happens, remembering that
ALLAH is great, and the GROUND HOG il
his prophet!
| Senator Koiner writes letter to the
| Stanton press explaining that the OppO
nents of the bill making the school tax
payable III money, were not actuated by
hostility to the schools, but by the fact
that the Court of Appeals has declared OBJ
ligatory the law making coupons receiva-
BILE for all taxes; and further that the op-
ponents of the bill were the urgent advo
Gates of Il substitute which required thu
Auditor to set apart the money requireo
| for the schools, after 1t came into the pos
session of the State. Our Augusta peopl
did not iced the Senator's assurance
| There are no firmer friends of the public
school system in the legislature than MIR
Koiner and Messrs Hanger, Echols an
Vanlear. Indeed no man hanging On tl'
ragged edge of the bailo. 10 Virginia will
J ever be found opposing or gripping free
/ schools.
| -