Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-02
GROUND HOG DAY.
He Saw His Shadow and There Will Re Six
Weeks More of Winter.


With q bright sun besming knowingly down
upon him, Senior Arctomys Monax stepped
forth today from his winters quarters and
shifted the air. Then he cooked his weather
eye up toward the orb of day and winked.
When he had satisfied himself that the sun was
really shining he glanced over his round
furry back and shuddered with fright to
see a shadow Of his odd little self projected on
the ground. A thrill Of disappointment
coursed through him, and. with a sigh for the
delights of freedom, he put his brief tail be-
tween his legs and slunk back into his hole to
sleep for six weeks. Thus Senior Monax, alias
Ground Hog, celebrated Candlemas day and
set himself up in business as a weather prophet
In opposition TO Lieut.. Glassford, who is
handling the reins at the prediction counter
this month.
THE POETIC PREDICTION.
There is little verse Of poetry that is un-
doubleday being quoted very universally today
to prove that there is come hard weather yet
to come this winter. Senior Monax may not he
the author of it. but he has to bear the brunt
OF 1t nevertheless. 1t runs as follows:
''If Candlemas be br ght and fair
II Candlemas be gray and fual.
half the winters gone At yu.e."
The amount of poetic license INDUCED in by
the author may be taken as good excuse for
Senior Monax TO scurry out of sight on Candle
mas for fear of just retribution at the hands
OF the reading public. However that may be
the hrst couplet of the stanZa is amply verified
today and the winter. according TO Ais reckon
lng, will end about March Is and no sooner.
Ground hog versus weather bureau Is a win
ming cause on such day as tins, though ordi-
narlly there is a certain amount OF faith in the
modern methods of meteorological science as
against the rhythmic reason Of the older times
In fact. this conflict of presage is epitome of
the advance of the day, and the Monaxites
represent the incredibly OF a certain class of
people IN regard to the value of the high and
the low" and the barometric pressures and
variations and other symbols Of the science.
on THE SAFE SIDE.
Whatever may be the virtues Of this school
of weather philosophy, it is pretty certain that
Monax is on the safe side this year, for even
the weather bureau does not attempt to dis
count his prediction. II assigns a scientific
reason fo- this position, however. and asserts
that there is law of compensation that pro-
duces a normal season, with an average of heat
and cold. and that if a winter be mild at the
start the chances are rathe- in favor of its
being somewhat severe before the close. Bar
ring bad spell OF snow in January that
will have comparatively little weight in the
general balance. the winter has been unuues-
tionably mild, and there is no reason apparent
Tor sneerlng at Monax for venturing his mild
and modest little blink at the sun and for per-
forming his unriyaled disappearing act
THE GROUND HOG HARD TO FIND.
People who have actually seen the ground
hog are to be enumerated very easily. In fact,
they are as hard to find as Monax himself the
day before Candlemas, yet it is asserted that he
always ventures out. with neither a sun shade
nor a macintosh, to stretch himself and take
his chances, year after year.
Tradition-or fiction, just as one pleases-is
vague on the point of whether the entire
Monax family makes the trip on Candlemas or
depends upon the astuteness of some partic-
uiar old Prob who has blinked at the
sun and shivered in the cold on
SO many successive Candlemas days tina,
he has an unerring instinct as q
when to whisk out of sight or &c
60 promenading. Yet these small omissions
do not affect the prestige of the Monax tribe
nor do they shake the faith of the believers
and once each year hundreds and even thou.
sands of ears are primed to catch the ground
hogs whistle as he runs over the bars of An.
drew's delightful opera, and agrees with the
tenor that NOW is the time for disappearing