The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-08-11
TIE UTV1N1NG nod,
Human Nature frequently Imposed
Upon by Superstition.

likely never seen the mountains, sdver-
tise to locate minerals, oil, and water
with "divining ods"-simple little
sticks turned out Just as a good lathe
hand would make a ball bat, says the
Daily Mining Record. These rods,
which are also sometimes willow twigs,
are Supposed TO turn in the hands of
the diviner when he walks over land
in which precious metals are to be
found.
Said a lady the other day, in ex-
plaining her astrological knowledge:
"on Saturday, the 22nd of June, not
a mine in all the United States played
ahead
Here are two subjects for thought.
Each n of these persons, the divin-
ing rod man and the astrologer, claims
that his or her belief is a "science."
Let us take them mp for brief discus
sion.
First, the divining rod is nothing
more than any other stick, and does
not even possess special magnetic quail
tiles. Even if its force were magnetism,
gold and silver should have no effect
on it, and surely not oil or coal. What
then, can be the case where the rod
locates water2 Why is it that science
in its hard struggles has never recog-
nized the divining rods Can it be that
science is so fearfully prejudiced
against these things as to not even
accord them a fair thoughts What
ever the answer nav be, we still have
the evidence that mining and oil, as
ence, and not with superstition. The
world has moved not according to the
standards of the East Indian adopts,
but according to the progress of sci
ence, which is wholly in accord with
natural law. The prediction of sooth-
sayers that certain great men will die
at a given time, have not yet been
found correct. AFTER the death has
occurred, there are plenty who claim
they made the prediction. Many as
trologers advertise that they foretold
the Galveston flood, the Iroquois fire,
the blowing up of the Maine, the Slo-
cum disaster, etc, etc, but they do
not come out in print and predict
some great catastrophe that has not
yet happened.
In the case OF what the mines did
on Saturday, the 22nd day of June,
1905, is it reasonable to believe that
the ore stopped ON that day proved an
expense only, in every mine IN the
United States Mines are run with ore
reserves. The ore that is broken down
in the Camp Bird today may have
been blocked out eight months ago;
the ore that is reduced at the Port
land smelter today may nave been
stopped two weeks ago, and may have
been blocked out two months ago. The
ore that is milled at the Homestake
today may lave been blocked out last
IyCdI. LII otuCI WUIuS, JUt ODtIdLlODS
of all the mines in a given day rep
resent what was actually done on such
a variety of days that they likely took
EVERY DAY or a year or more, What
sense is there in fate's decreeing that
values should be under cost all on a
certain day? What could astrology
rain - +biS uora COZ
Now, pray, suppose some "seer' or
psychic did actually ''locate"
some mine for you-would you have
tho ,norey to prove its vaiue2 Would
the public buy stock in it because it
was located through some maudlin su-
perstitionF Perhaps so; we cannot
say. But we direct attention to a
recent Chicago exposure in which a
palmist told men that they had hands
for speculation and referred them TO
q mining company.
What is to be gained by supersti-
tion2 One only goes on stumbling
blindly, and takes chances without rea-
son. The result must invariably be
disastrous. The old skilled prospector
sometimes makes mistakes. But he
does not use the divining rod. He
uses the prosaic pick and pan.
Human nature is frequently imposed
upon in the practice of these super
stitions. If they are q consolation 20
the bereaved, let them remain individ-
ual possessions, but try to not take
them into business. The successful man
may consult an astrologer, but that
is not what makes him successful. Like
the lottery, one winning will wipe out
the memory of ten thousand losses.
Stick to the matter-of-faet plan and