Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1896-05-30

Credulous Persons Who Believe in
the Water Wand.
Discovering Hidden Springs by a
FOrked Apple Stick.

the dlvining rod was spoken Of by the
farmers of a Pennsylvania community,
| determined to investigate, says a
of the Philadelphia
Press, and to my astonishment found
that not only did no one avow plain
disbelief, but that many expressed
most perfect confidence in the mys
terious power. One person, largely
townbred, ant. perhaps, therefore,
more familiar with phases Of skepti-
cism, boldly asserted that, though at
one time an unbellever, he had re-
canted his error. and had become a
firm adherent to the belief that you
can discover water underground by
means of stick OF the proper kind,
carried in the proper way IN the
hands.
Two instructors in the art were
forthcoming, and | was told of third, |
who was well-tried professor, and |
'who would, for small sum, lnfallibly
point out place at which you might
safely bring well-sinking operations
with full confidence that your labor
would not be in vain. | took my
lessons in private with each Of my
teachers independently of the other.
The procedure wasexactly the same in
both cases. We repaired to the or-a
chard aud found a>shoot Of one years
growth, which had formed fork.
Note we'll that it is necessary that the
shoot should be Of one years growth.
I was then instructed to place my
hands horizontal with the palms up
ward, the thumbs, of course, being
outward, and my elbows close to my
side. The two branches Of the fork
were placed in the palms which were
then closed tightly, SO that the
''handle" of the fork stood perpen-
dicularly upward. The next direc-
ton was to hold the apparatus firmly
in this position, and to walk slowly
} and carefully about, when, if passed
over a spring of water, the index, or
handle of the fork, would bend down
to the water | did SO, and after q
short time | felt the divining rod
twisting round in my hand, until
| the index was horizontal and finally
c vertically downward In each
: case my teacher was delighted. and
: predicted that | should make q good
5 diviner. We did not, of course, sink
c we'll to complete the demonstration,
0 but that has nothing to do with the
> matter. My instructors were con
II yinced that water was under my feet.
/ SO am |, for You could scarcely &C
ten wards or sink a we'll twenty feet
y deep without finding water, seeing
le that it bursts from the sides Of the
= hills and bubbles up in the plains IL
ic all directions.
'e It was useless to argue about tn
u muscular force that was acting doWl
o my arms and along my fingers, and o
~ which | was painfully CONSCIOUS, iron
ay the constrained position IN which
held the twig.
Now, please observe that this IS a
account of an event which took plac
i G, ayt, ht
! ened city of Philadelphia, III the yea
i. 1896, 4. D., only. four years before tn
-. dawn Of that magnificent twentiet
century in which time and space an
darkness are all to be abolished, al.
= men NAV even hope TO understan
Il. more than. three, four or I'VE din eI
>, sions. Conservatism would certalnl
ia hold tha. the belief IN the power
os discerning water and other treasur'
u In the recesses Of tie earth, By meal
: Of a divining rod, rests on q surer bas
OILS than discovering the contents OF
purse bv means oi RoentGen y ray
because il IS much more ancient Bah
louians Of old uscl dlvinlng rods. II
ern mystical Magians made them out
au tanarIck bouch-. Hlndoos. as loi
re ago as when the Vedas were write
ha, practised tie art of discovering hidd
,ky things by means of magic wands- l
axe Chinese from time lmmeinofiaI la
: made tam Of peach tSiss- Europe
GU, nations have hal faith n the haz
the branch. and not even the sarcasm 0:
hat Sir Walter Scott, rs put forth agaiI
OF the person OF Dous,erswivei IN u
the Antiauar,. hiss been able TO Kill
,veI English ard Scotch bei'ef IN
method.