Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-10

.'Hc qua ceiu 4ui descend, ainsi dispose, dal
'. Ha--e. NaiS - taut que resprit demetre no
.lHr. et D OuDe iamaIs quit ny pour III d'at \
sle 10 iei 5cienuhque."-LIrTRR.
The course Of my last summers .vaca
gl hich 7as 5bent at ? small inland vil
a-e, | came upon an unexpected illustration
at rhc teuacity with which conceptions de
--endcd from prehistoric antiquity have nov
and then kept their hold upon life. Will
citing one evening under the trees by th
r-tt-de. my attention was called to the unu
=ea conduct Of half a dozen men and boy
-ao wers standing opposite. An elderly
al wan moving oloFly up and down th,
rUaa- holding with both hands a forked twil
.. ta-l. shaped like the letter inverted
With Dis palms turned upward, he held il
band Z branch cF the twie in such q
vas mat me shank pointed upward but
,sery .ew moments, as hc halted over a Ger
-lin spot, the twig would gradually bend in
wards and dJwnwards until it had assumed
saa likeness UT a ) ia it's natural position
Tte-e D. would remain pointing TO some
..a- .d s1e -rJunu beneath. one by one
the bystanders proceeded to try the expert
ment. b4t with no variation in the result
Something ID the ground seemed to fascinate
tie biz 90 hazel. for It could not pass over
tHat suJt without bending down and point
.a- t5 lt
H- thoughts reverted al once to Jacques
.vaar ard NousteFswi7ol, a1 | perceired
these men were engaged in sursery
u--as the long drought more than half the
r in the village had become dry, and
.-. vrs IN attempt to make good the loss
s r.e aiu ot th5 god Thor. These men
-.re seeking water with a divining-rO
H.-a alive before my eyes, was a supersti-
l-- ab-cvgance, whicI | had supposed long
-a.1 -ead ana forgotten by all men except
Students interested in mythology.
f- ! crossed the road 90 take part in the
.eramsnv iarmers boy came up stoutly af-
.-rme lE lnrreiulity, and Offering to show
-.. .inpsrv how he could carry the rod mo
tluls-- across the charmed spot. But when
he came o. take the weird twig he trembled
wita am i,L-deinei feeling Of insecurity as to
the s5uudness 81 his conclusions, and when
he stood over the supposed rivulet the rod
bent In spite nt him, as was not so very
.trcH~c. tor with AL his vague scepticsm,
raa honest lad had not, and could not be
supposed % have. the f0i scieHHhqls Of which
Little speaks
IereupJn ! requested leave to try the
r.I alt something in my manner seemed at
.u.a tl excite the suspicion and scorn Of the
-.-..-.r. b. e. take IT, said he, with
rr.t.-ettnr rehemcnce. '' but yOu can stop
taer wafer b-lO- here, ard you can't
ae.r ~ bending. lfy You break your back try
.l- b hold ii. 81 he gave me the twig,
ami awaited, with a smle which was meant
e.. szgres- wIthering sarcasm, the discomit-
.-- "a the supposed scoffer. But when |
rs -elei t1 walk four or five times across
'e mysterious place, the rod pointing stead
..---F toward lbC zenith all the while, our
-.rt became grave and began to philoso-
Well. said he. 'f you see your
-... rlramaut is peculiar the conditions ain't
-- -s1.e lu your case there are some peo- /
r.. -HJ never can work these things. But
0--. water below here, for all that, as
II find. If you dig for it there nothing
.. h4ei-rod for finding out water -
Very true. there are some persons who
rE.- .an make such things work who
somehow always encounter = unfavOrable
.ll.- wien they wish 70 test the mar
.a.. F. powers of a clairvovant, who never
..n l-ase be Panchette = move in conform
r.. the requirements Of any known alpha
..t .u never see ghosts, and never have
ailments. save such as are obvious
.e Iae - association Of ideas. The ill-suc-
# these persons is commonly ascribed
-Ha.r lack Of faith but, in the majority
-s- It might be more truly referred to
che strength of their faith,-faIth in the con
-'sr.g d. nature. and in the adequacy Of or
l..asv human experience as interpreted by
science. In nv srientHY1c is an excellent
preventive against that obscure, though not
r-r rnuar. kind e selfdeception which
enables wooden tripods to write and tables
G. tIr and hazel-twigs 70 twist upslde-down.
IS .tHout tkc conscious intervention OF the
l-r.1rucr. It was this kind Of faith, no
ID uHt. -bich caused the discontinue of
jacques Avmar on his visit To Paris and
Rhlcl has in late years prevented persons
from obtaining the handsome prize offered
ly tie French Academy for the first authen-
tie ease ef clairvoyaucc.
Eut our village friend, though perhaps
,n-jruct,cly right in his philosophizing,
Na- certainly very defective in his acquaint-
ircc with the time hUnOTed at o! ThabdOm-
tacv. Had he extended his inquiries so as
.cuyse the field Of IudD-EurOpean tradition,
rs va.II have learned that the mountain
.-h tle mI-tietor, the white and black
horne, the H.ndOo asyattha, and several
lricr woods. are quite as efficient IS the Ia
a. fer tic purpose Of detecting water IN
time af drought and in due course Of time
be- would have Terceiv,d that the diviniDg
-li itself is hut one among large class OF
.hiuEs ta which popular belief has ascribed,
,oug with other tllismanic properties, the
power ot oIcninE the ground OF clcaying
-Yrk-. in order to- reveal hidGen treasures.
.4a-ius Linn in peace, then, with his bat Oi
Iork,d hazel, t9 seek for cooling springs IN
some future thirsty season, let Us endeavOr
10 elueidatc the origin ot this curious super
-titiou.
The detection Ot suJrerTanean water j. by
r3 means tile only use to which the divining-
r.i ha- been put Among the ancient Frs-
.au- it rva- regularly used for the detection
lf criminals AMI the reputation of jacques
Aymar Has won hy bis discovery of the per-
ctratur .i = horrible murder at Lyons.
3 rou-hYut Europe it has been used from
time imu,ulurial by miners for ascertainiDg
the position ot veins of metal and in the
days When talents were wrapped in napkins :
and buried u thc field. instead of being ex- !
posed h. the risks Of financial speculation,
he divIn.n- rpI was employed by persons
.ovttou- 10 their ncigbbOrs wealth If
had lived IN the sixteenth CEN
urv hc would have taken n forked stick OF /
hazel when be went to search for the buried !
Treasures of Jean Vatican Ii has also been
iETlel ~ the cure Of disease, and has been
kept ID households, ike a wizards charm, !
.t lu-are general guod-lortune and immunity /
I.l- 4.-a-lCr-
IS ve follow the conception further into
hc e.tIand of popular tradition, We come !
rs r5d which not only points out the
t.a-I.u ai hidden treasure, but even spHts
rtu ta. -Iouud and reveals the mineral :
wealth contained therein 10 German leg
.r-. 4 -h,pheId, who was driving his mock :
r,r ,ie IsenstsiD, having stopped to rest,
D.a.n. 80 his staff. tie mountain suddenly :
Irercd lr there was a springwOrt IN hIs
staff without bis knowing it, and the prln-
e-s .lt-e stood before bIm. She bade hlm
..I.r, t,r. and when he was inside the
.a..t-aru she lald him 70 take as much gold
.- A, pleased The shepherd filled all hIs !
( --s, a. aud was going away, when the prln,..
-.-- a4l.ol after bin. forget not the bett.
So. t.iuElr- She meant that he had rot tax
o enough. he filled his hat also but what !
-lc mef.r- was his staff with the spTiDgwoTt,