Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-12-09
THE OWNING ROD.

From the remotest period, a 10,
has been regarded ms the symbol o
power and authority, and Holy Scrip
tme employs it in this sense. Thu
David speaks of THY rod and Thy
staff comforting me;' and Nose,
works miracles before Pharoah with
the rod as an emblem of Divine com
mission. Many other instances oi
this use of it could he pointed out in
the Bible.
Tacitus tells us that the Germans
practiced some sort of divination by
means of rods. For the purpose
their method is simple. They cut q
rod of some fruit tree into bits, and
after having distinguished them by
some marks. they cast them into q
white cloth Then the priest thrice
draws each piece, and diyines the or.
acle according to the marks"
The superstition respecting them
reaching its full development III the
Middle Ages, divining rods were be-
lieved to have efficacy i'll discovering
/ hidden treasures, veins of precious
metal. springs of water, thefts and
murders.
The first notice of its general use.
among late writer's. is in the fiesta
mcntum Novum." Lib. j., cap. 25, of
Basil Valentine, Benedictine monk
of the fifteenth century. He speaks
of the general faith in, and adoption
of. this valuable instrument for the
discovery of metals, which is carried
by workmen in mines. either In their
belts OF in their caps. He says that
there are seven names by which this
rod is known, and to its excellencies,
under each title, he devotes chapter
of his book. The names are Divine
Rod. Shining Rod, Leaping Rod,
Transcendent Rod, Trembling Rod,
Dipping Rod, Superior Rod.
In his admirable treatise on metals,
Agricola speaks of the rod in terms of
disparagement; he considers its use
as a relic of ancient magical forms,
and he says that it is only irreligious
workmen who employ it in their
.earch after metals.
The manner in which the rod was
used by certain persons renders self
deception possible. The rod is gen
orally of hazel, and is forked like a
Y; the forefngers are placed against
the divcrging arms of the rod and
the elbows are brought back against
the side; thus the implement is held
in front of the operator delicately
balanced before the pit of the stom
ach at distance of about eight
inches. Now, if the pressure of the
balls of the digits be in the least re-
laxed. the stalk of the rod will nat
urally fall. 1t has been assumed by
some that restoration of the pressure
will bring the stem back again, point
ing toward the operator, and a little
further pressure will elevate it into a
perpendicular position. A relaxation
of force will again lower it. and thus
the rotation observed in the rod be
maintained.
But the manner of using the rod
was by no means identical in all
cases.
Tho most famous case in which it
was employed was in 1892, when
Jacques Aymar, man famous for his
power with the divining rod, was EN-
ployed to discover the murderers of a
wine seller and his wife. He actually
detected one, but two others eluded
his pursuit and got TO France. Aymar
was then taken to Paris, where his
powers failed, and the learned were
left in as great doubt as ever on the
powers of the rod, and the new ques-
ton whether Jacques was an I'M
postOr.
In Wiltshire. England. it is en-
ployed for the purpose of detecting
water; in Cornwall. for the purpose
of detecting coal. In America it is fire.
uucntly used to find water. and has
many believers.
The writer of this article remem-
bers having seen, in Truro, town OF
Cornwall, an old man who had earned
with his diviDing rod good living
for over half a century. General nm
belief, however, had latterly curtailed
his earnings. When engaged pro-
fessionally, he would visit the land
on which it was proposed to open the
mine. and determine, by means OF his
rod, the direction in which the coal
ran. The rod was held firmly over
the pit of the stomach with both
hands. and it was supposed to be so
attracted by coal as to incline sensi
bly toward ii.