The Press., 1889-02-14
(For The Press.) ssGROUND HOGsDAY" IN KANSAS.

'tr Topeka, Kan., Feb 2, 1889.
 The advent of February always awakens in thei iKansan an alert interest to observe and carefully note the appearance of its 2d day, as the solution of the fuel question for the coming weeks is involved in the meteorological phenomena of that day. When came to Kansas and began to post myself as to its vegetable and animal productions, enquiry was made whether l they had woodchucks here, a very simple question as New Englander would think, but 1t seemed to stagger the Kansan, who possesses the Americans repugnance to evlnce ignorance upon any subject known to anybody. By sort of rebound it also staggered me, as it will any one who at. tempts to explain exactly what wood chuck is, as distinguished from every other product of the animal kingdom-in other words to diagnose the woodchuck. In due course, however, light seemed to dawn up- on him. 70, think" said he, "you must mean ground hog, and due reference to Webster's unabridged confirmed his sus- picions.
 One year ago my milkman, to whom I casually remarked that it is rather foggy and cloudy this morning, responded "Yes, and hope the sun won't shine out to-day. Wishing to observe just how he would explain himself, though knowing what was in his mind, I asked what was the matter with the sun to-day. ''This,' said he, Sis ground hog day, and if the sun shines out at noon so that he can see his shadow whan he comes out of his hole, he will hurry back and not come out again for six weeks, and all that time we shall have cold, wintry weather Y
 This being an article of rooted and grounded faith here, we deem it unwise to ov n10 s%o UDo would not usually ask person why he be- lieves that Friday is an ''unlucky day." and that the life of person who is so un- fortunate or so depraved as to have been born on that day will be spotted all over with misfortunes. And, indeed, MT. Edi- tor, may not this be the main cause of all the unlucky events that afflict the world and that as about one seventh of all the people must be born on Friday, this large lump of leaven is sufficient to leaven the lives of all, and fatally infect them some- what as measles or small pox might do? Doubtless it is very unlucky for person to be born on Friday, or indeed any other day, for that matter.
 Nor do we enquire too critically why it IS that shower cannot come up "against the moon." l have heard that profound statement made by hay maker in West Stafford, and he took much comfort in the confidence the theory gave him, for the
 moon was then high in the heavens, whilst
 the clouds seemed to struggle in vain at-
 temps to overtop Chestnut Hill, and he
 felt that his hay was safe. The fact that
 the summer cloud is scarcely @ mile above
 the earth, whilst the moon Is some 240, 900
 times that distance, is altogether too scien-
 tific and fetched for any use ill practical
 hay making.
 Nor, again, do we insist upon knowing
 aDhy it is an unlucky circumstance that just thirteen persons sit at table togeth-
 CT, or that the "baker's dozen" should enter
 as factor in any transaction. People
 must have their theories, and this would
 be very prosaic world without them.
 And if, perchance, the facts of life do not
 always conform to our theories, so much
 the worse for the facts. Let us by all
 means stick to our theories, "though the
 heavens fall, the facts can always take care of themselves. It is here to-day (Saturday)
 8 conspicous fact that from the rising of
 the sun to the going down thereof, not 8
 cloud has appeared above the horizon to obscure his brightness, and the ground
 hog, sitting upon bis launches, as pictured
 in the daily papers, has had ample time and reason to contemplate an additional
 term of six weeks in his subterranean abode, whilst we who are destined, as most of us hope, to dwell above ground, may we'll look to our supply of coal.
 Now let no one depreciate our respect and affection for this one of our peculiar institutions, invented, as we are at liberty to believe, by "Lo. the poor Indian" and inherited by us from the medicine man of the forest and plain. Caesar had his omi. , nous "Ides of March," Napoleon his pom ? frC. -I.l N G.. |. historic ''Glorious Fourth, !" and Massachu. setts her towering Bunker Hill monu ment," but it was reserved for the ''sun flower state" to glory alone in the un questioned proprietorship of ''ground hog day." JIM. W.