The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-06-19
THE OWNING ROD.
Credulous Persons Who Believe in
the Water Wand.
/ discovering Hidden Springs by a
Forked Apple Stick


] determined 70 investigate, says a
correspondent Of the Philadelphia
Press, and 10 my astonishment found
that not only did no one avow plain
disbelief, bat that many expressed
most perfect confidence in the mys-
FERROUS power. Ono person, largely
townbred, and perhaps, therefore,
more familiar with phases Of skepti-
cism, boldly asserted that, though at
one time an unbeliever, he had re-
canted his error, and had become
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 we're
forthcoming, and was told 3. third
who was well-tried professor, and
who would, for a small sum, infallibly
point out a place at which you might
safely bring well-sinking operations
with full confidence that your labor
would not be in vain. I took my
lessons in private with each of nv
teachers independently of the other.
The procedure was exactly the same in
both cases. We repaired to the or
chard and found a shoot Of one years
growth, which had formed a fork.
Note well that it is necessary that the
shoot should be of one years growth.
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
we're 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
aud 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 a
short time / felt the divining rod
twisting round in my hand, until
the index was horizontal and finally
vertically downward In each
case my teacher was delighted, and
predicted that should make a good
diviner. We did not, of course, sink
well to complete the demonstration,
but that has nothing to do with the
matter Ny instructors were con-
WINGED that water was under my feet.
So am I, for you could scarcely go
ten yards or sink a we'll twenty feet
deep without finding water, seeing
that it bursts from the sides of the
hills and bubbles up in the plains in
all directions.
1t was useless to argue about the
muscular force that was acting down
my arms and along my fingers, and Of
which / was painfully conscious, from
the constrained position in which 1
held the twig.
Now, please observe that this IS an
account of an event which took place
within hundred miles Of the enIight-
ened city of Philadelphia, in the year
1895, A. D., only four years before the
dawn of that magnificent twentieth
century in which time and space and
darkness are all to be abolished, and
men may even hope to understand
more than three, four or Eve dim en-
sions. Conservatism would certainly
hold that the belief in the power of
discerning water and other treasures
IN the recesses OF the eafUn, by means
Of divining rod, rests on a surer basis
than discovering the contents OF a
purse by means Of Roentgen x rays,
because it is much more ancient. Baby
lonians Of old used diyining rods. The
mystical Magiaus made them out of
tamarick boughs. Hindoos, as long
ago as when the Vedas we're written,
praetised the art OF discovering hidden
things by means of magic wands. The
Chinese 'from time immemorial" have
made them Of peach twiga European
nations have had faith in the haze.
branch, and not even the sarcasm OF q
Sir Walter Scott, as put forth against
n.,,,4,,..,v,s,yot ffu7t. !