Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-17
Ground Hog Philosophy.

Six wokes OF sprynge-lySe weather tE,ayr shall
be-.
The Orthography Of these lines would !
seem to imply that they We're written III
:'fair sunny England about four hum
dred and fifty years ago-during Chaucer'
time, if not by that distinguished poet
himself. What is most fatal to an i'm
plicit faith in their genuineness is the fact
that wudde-chuke, or wood-chuck.
is purely an Americanism: that name not
being applied to any animal in England,o or
even on the continent Of Europe. 1t is
even questionable whether that animal or
any other of the same genus has an exist
ence in England at all. On the continent
of Europe they have the "Alpine Marnot"
(Arctomys alpinus), which is gencricaliy
| allied to the grounding" Of Lancaster
county, but it is not known by the name
| aoo0d-chuck. Nor are the habits of this
animal used as a prognosticator Of the
| weather. either in England OF on the con-
tinent of Europe therefore, the entire
! prophecy is as little known there as the
| term . wood-c.uck or ground-hog either.
Consequently we must transfer the ori gin
Of the story To the continent OF North
| America, and specifically to Pennsylvania
where it is more popular than anywhere
else in the American Union. But then the
| language of our quotation, and especially
| its orthography, is not in any sense Penn
| sylvanian, it is too antique, and be
longs to the period we have above
ndicated-indeed, it s.lacks very much
of an Overdrawn, very modern
imitation-and very probably was intend
ed to clothe modern local superstition i'll
al ancient foreign literary garb. N-her-
ever the notion exists, and with whatever
faith it may be believed in, we think we
ought to acknowledge its Pennsylvania
| paternity-it we do not claim it even for
Lancaster county-and record it as one of
the peculiar notions of the Pennsylvania
Dutch.' 1t cannot be exactly ranked with
supcrstitions, for there may lie many who
believe it with qualiiicatiOns-in Il sort Of
Pickwickian sense--and therefore we
. book it, as nOtion. Nor are We pre-
| pstICu " SuS ~ Is cllIiiCly NlODiiSIlliIt.
when the prophecy is properly understood.
because it is fulfilled about as often as it
fails but, in the majority ofinstanccs, the
weather is of such Il character for six
weeks after Candlcmas. that it coul, not
be established before Il court and Jury
whether it has been a lulGIment or a fail
ure. This depends somewhat upon how
people understand it. Some would SAY we
| shall have six consecutive weeks of cold vl'
mild weather (Gased upon the character Of
the weather on Canllemas or Ground
| hog day), without reference 10 thc kinds
| thai might fellow the six wtci1> Others
may say that we shall have an carly or =
late spring, with six weeks OF cold or warm
weather intcrspersed between the % o:
| February and the 1st or middle OF April
as the case may he indeed, we have heard
it said long years ago. that the sun must
| shine sufficiently t. cast 4 shadow. CT be
over-cloudc';, al h"y on the 2l or Fcbl1l-
AIRY. or the prOGnOsticatiOn loses its pptgn-
cy and is entirely void otilCr; were content
with one hour, or even less. in ;i,e morning
But, - for the SAKE Of the argument.
suppose we admit the gcnuincness Of the
| writing: we are then forced 20 conclude
that the author OF this old prophecy
knew very little about lie history ol.
habits of the American woDG-chuck. or
grOundhoG. And, il he lai intended
his prophecy to be applicable to Tie
uttcrmost parts Of the earth" and for
all coming time. lie proDab!y would have
substituted some other animal as symbol
Of his prognoSticati0n--a hare, a rabbit 0t.
a cat. for instancc-and not have i,i.lti-
fled it with Il physical impoSsibility. rs
to whether a clear or cloudy CandlcilA.;
morning prcsaGcs cold Or mild wcathc..
during the six weeks which immediately
follow ii, We leave entirely - the Giscli.-
sion of tie wcather-wi<c; hccausc. in ,,i>-
cussing the question from GAR standpoint We
are not disputing its meteorological ::Iti,l-
ence. There MAY be ZG:iiac:l or planetary
allinitics that we are unconscious o!
although they may bot be 50 uncrring or
so conspicuous in their manifestations Is
some people claim for them, running as
they do far beyond the comprehension Of
the most philosophical mind. This is rot
the case in regard to weather proyno&tic;.-
tions alone, but also in relation to what
may be deemed more tangible subjects.
How often are physicians OF loHy practice
and the most extensive and varied cXp2I;-
cnce baillCd in the treatment of an aI,:,ar-
emily simple disease, in which they have
found that all the symptoms have mis.c:l
| them, all their remedies have failed. au,!
they have only discovered the real c;,t!s,
after it was too late to benefit the patient
or perhaps only after they had made y post
mO:tcm examination. 1t may often be so
also in regard to the usual signs of the
weather, and perhaps it always will be so
as long as human knowledge cannot pcnc-
trate the veil that Shrout!s the hidden
secrets of nature realm. Therefore, we
here neither deny nor affirm the ln~t2o.o-
logical significance Of tie day known rs
Candomas in the churcieS. and Gru;lnI-
IIOg-day among the '@cntiIc>. P.uci'-
cally speaking, there is not t farmer w;o
would not rather have six week; Of yy'G
weather to follow the 2l day OF iul,!1,-
ary than six weeks OF mil, or warm
weather, unless he could be assured that
it would not return to cold again after the
middle of March, for it seems. according