The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-02

Today, according to all traditions, is
grounding day. 1t is the day when
the animal after which the day is
named is supposed to come forth, take
a look around and tell all the weather
observers and forecasters what he
thinks of them.
If this cunning little beast sees his
shadow he will turn right around and
crawl back into his hole again, there
to continue his season Of alternating
for another six weeks, for in the days
of his wisdom he knows that there
will be powerful i'll weather for the
next month and a half. On the other
hand, should the grounding look about
him in vain for his shadow. he will re-
main on the surface and engage in ac-
tivities which with him have long been
suspended, for here again he knows
that the mask on the sun means moth
ing pOrtentious but for the day, and
that the weather will become mild and
springlike presently. And the ground
hog-he knows.
The indications for today given out
by the local weather bureau are that
there will be local snow, in which event
the grounding is likely to look at the
sun, if he looks that way, through
dim sky. Thus treasured, he viii shake
off the lethargy following his winters
comfortable snooZe and begin again the
struggle for existence in attempting to
win a living from the products of the
earth instead of constantly consuming
the tissues and things that he lives on
during the time when he doesn't have
to worry about anything. There are
those who will have it that ground
hog day ought to be called woodchuck
day, but this notion is not popular in
Of ha a ,fs
says it is right. The grounding, too,
is properly called an American mar
mot but quite every self-respecting
grounding resents the appellatiOn. He
wants to be just a grounding.
A writer in The HousekeepeF for
February has dipped a trihe into the
lore concerning the grounding and his
ways, and more particularly his day.
with this result:
FEB. 2, or Candlemas day. was a
favorite holiday, marked by public gai
ETY. and ceremonies i'm Europe during
the middle ages. 1t is still marked
there by the closing of the banks and
offices, but not otherwise, outside of
the reading of church services. In the
church calendar it is known as the
Feast of Publication of the Virgin, and
was first instituted by Pope Sergius
about the year 6S4 A. D. The popular
name of the day is derived from the
early custom of lighting the churches
with candles and Carrying these in
procession on this festival.
'As to the weather superstition that
gives to Candlemas the name of
grounding day. that Is :. worldwide
fable. In Germany it is the badger
that breaks his winter nap on this day
to essay the thankless task of weather
prophecy; in France and Switzerland
it is the marmot; in England, the
hedgehog. Observation shows that none
of these small animals do thus observe
the date fixed, also that the weather
on this date does not accurately fore
tell that of the following two months,
as is supposed. But it is a general
truth that in temperate ATTITUDES, warm
and sunny weather in the first half of
February is apt to be followed by a
change and a cool spring, and on this
fact our grounding and badger sto-
ries are founded"
The weather yesterday brought forth
a bit of frost and a temperature for
the minimum that was as low Is any,
save on the previous day. The low
mark reached yesterday was Is, while
the last day of January showed II.
The maximum yesterday was y.
The record for the month of January
shows that there were, all told, twelve
clear days, which does not seem half
bad for midwinter. There were only