From the February 1, 1936, issue

SHADOWY SUPERSTITION

Groundhog Day is one of those curious superstitions that persist even after they have been well discredited and generally disbelieved. Probably nobody thinks that 6 more weeks of winter will ensue if the sun shines on the morning of February 2, but everybody talks about it in terms of the gravest belief. It has become one of those straight-faced public jokes that is almost a public ritual.