Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-02-26
THE OWNING ROD.
VARIOUS vAGARIES OF THE FREAKY
FORK.

cause IL TO tWlst ana Deuu-lHhI 10, ~"
yided he was wizard? And having Dy
some means discovered that fact, by
what means did he discover that the
action was due to the attraction. or re-
pulsion. OF some buried but much-to-6e-
desired substance like water or gold
provided again that the thing showed
any system In its movements? :,
Whatever its origin, the divining roo
has come to be an accepted fact, ana
many people place great faith IN us
manifestations. Even [ have been con-
vinced that the rod does actually bend
bv some influence which | do not at
tempt to explain. And this can not De
attributed to any predisposition to it on
nv part, for in the matter OF occult
forces, from hypnotism up and down,
nv attitude is that of scOffer. ! have
become convinced simply because have,
on several occasions, felt the rod bend IN
nv own hands, and was unable to per-
suade myself that 1t was my own
muscles that were straining themselves.
The popularity of the rod in my
hands Is that it absolutely indicates
nothing whatever. 1t doesn't, as well
ordered rod should, dip as it passes over
the hidden spring and rise again when l
have passed. In fact, there's no KNOW
, ing what it will do, but one thing Is Ger.
tain, il it once gets to pulling 1t will pull
till let 90, no matter whether there Is
beneath me network of hidden water
courses or the burning sands OF the
desert. | have carried one for an hour
through field and forest, and never had
it move particle; and at other times
have cut wand, and without moving
from my tracks, put it in position and
had it bend sharply almost before could
close nv fingers on it. | have had II
pull with a five-pound force till could
hold it no longer, and five minutes later,
in exactly the same place, refuse TO SUIT.
At one time, after experimenting with
one for some time with very good re-
suits, made the startling discovery
that had cut it in thicket of hazel-nut
bushes-but don't on any consideration
mention that to any full believer In Its
powers, because the particular bush
| from which | cut this twig may have
been witch hazel after all. you know.
There is kind of horrible fascination
about the thing that | can not explain.
more than | can explain the actions OF
the twig. l never take one in my hands
without curiously mixed feeling OF
dread, repulsion and attraction; but |
never come across witch hazel bush. in
my rambes, without an impulse-which
sometimes, but very rarely, resist-to
cut twig and try it.
| But the strangest thing that ever hap
pened to me in this line was the last.
| Some weeks ago | was reading the
explanation given by Professor Barrett
of England of the phenomenon OF the
diviping rod. The explanation was some
like President Buffers explanation Of
why he left Colby-it didn't explain. 1t
was devoted largely to statement or
the essential facts connected with the
phenomenon. This is the way the oper-
alton is described:
In describing the operation of "dowsing" az
this use OF the forked witch hazel twig Ia locally
called In England, Professor Barrett says that
the operator usually holds the by the prongs,
so that the stem projects In front of him and In
| cline4 upward slightly. When the dOwser passes
! spot where water is supposed to exist the twig
| rises TO a vertical position. striking him on the
breast The dowser himself often appears ex-
| hausted by the effort, even complaining or sick
| ness and giddiness and breaking into perspira-
ton. These are so marked in some instances
that he dscar'is the twig altogether and Is guild
| ed by his sensations alone. During the opera
| ton the dowser fixes his attention on the tip or
the twig and becomes oblivious to the world
| around him.
Now two years ago should have char
acterized the above paragraph, in the
expressive If not elegant slang OF the
day, as "tommy.rot." But have my
self felt to small degree the sensation
/ oh aYntn a
operation, and have realized the intens-
ity with which the operators attention
is fixed upon the tip OF the rod.
But the actions Of the rod Who ever
heard of its bending upwardi | never
had: it always bent downward with me
or any one else that had ever seen. The
only explanation of the matter that |
could make was that it was English for
the rod 70 bend upward, but that we are
such Anglophobists in America that even
the invisible powers of the air work In
an opposite direction here.
| Not long after reading the article
quoted, | was strolling in the woods one
afternoon, and came upon witch hazel
bush standing on the edge of watery
run. | had for the time forgotten all
about Professor Barrett's article, but as
my custom is, cut fork and held 1t in
due and ancient form, with the stem of
the Y projecting forward and slightly
upward. Very shortly | realized that
the experiment WAS to have some degree
of success, as | felt that premonitory
thrill which indicates the beginning of
the Influence" Sure enough, the tip
began to move, but instead Of bending
downward, it bent upward, and continu-
ed to bend until it struck my breast.
Recalling what had read. but almost
thinking that | must have been mistaken
in the actions OF the twig Immediately
took fresh and secure hold OF it. There
was no mistake about it. 1t Immediately
and vigorously bent upward until again
it struck me in the breast.
| Curious to see IL the position Of the
rod had anything to do with it, at once
turned it over the other side up. This
form of scientific investigation seemed
to be resented by the spirits which con-
trOlled the movements, for in that post
ton the thing positively refused to bulge
a hair, either up or down. After hold
ing it till got tired, again reversed it
to the original position in which it had
bent upward. Again no motion. For
half an hour | travelled through the
woods, with that thing first one side up
and then the other, but not wiggle did
| get out of il, and finally | got dis
gusted and threw it away.
| haven't seen a witch hazel bush
since, and don't much care IL | never