The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-03-17
History of the Superstition.

u
In tracing the sfist6fv f@tlie sTibieet
it is found that diVining rods have been
used (l) to locate ore deposits, (2) to
| discover buried or hidden treasures.
! (3) TO find lost landmarks and reestab-
lish property boundaries, a. to detect
criminals, 90 to analyze personal char
acter, (6) to cure diseases, (70 to trace
lost or strayed domestic animals, (S)
TO insure immunity against i'll fortune
by use as fetish, 90 to locate well
sites, (l0) to trace the courses of un.
derground streams, Cd to determine
the amount of water available by drill
ing at a given spot, (l2) to determine
the depth at which water or ores occur,
! (l3) to determine the direction of
cardinal points. (l4) to determine the
heights of trees, and 90 to analyze
ores and water.
The origin of the superstition is lost
in antiquity. What is believed to be
the first published description of the
divining rod is contained in Georgius
Agricola s ode re metallica,' which
was published in 1856. The device be
came common first IN Germany as Z
means for locating mines and also 70,
discovering buried treasure, a matter
of rather common interest in those
days, when the practice of burying
money and plate for safe keeping was
very general. II was introduced into
England by German miners during the
reign of Elizabeth (lJ5S-lG03), and be
fore the end Of the seventeenth century
il had spread through the countries OF
Europe. Everywhere it aroused con
trovcrsv. The rules prescribed for the
cutting of the twig partook largely 81
heather sorcerv and astrology. Their,
were indeed, to some extent uncon
SciOuS "reminiscences Of the old Scan
dinavian and even the Aryan my
thology. But this heather influence wa
offset when the rod was duly Christian
= lied by baptism, being laid for Thu
purpose in the bed with newly bap
tized child by whose Christian nam,
it was afterward addressed. It i
readily conceivable that the motive 70
, surrounding this practice with a re
} ligious atmosphere might not have BEEF
10 altogether n belief in its divine char
/. acter, for at that time anyone foun,
: engaged in mysterious works was i,
D danger of being charged with sorcer
D and burned to death.
Use in Detecting Criminals.
The diyining rod continued to be
favorite subject with alchemistic writ
: crs until about 1860, when a new tur
I, of affairs was brought about by
y Jesuit father, who denounced it as a
{ instrument controlled by the devil. TIL
:, subject was then taken up by tn
s church, and for more than 100 year
/ it was holly debated by churchme,
Some approved of it and authorized il
use on church property; others col
demncd il and threatened those VIII
e used il with accommodation. In 1863
the year of the salem witchcraft, il
notorietv was greatly increased nv ii
!, arrest and execution Of crimin'
1 through the agency of a peasant wi
: used divining rod. Interest in III
ease was intense and widespread an
called forth a large amount of liter
ture. As late az 1908 this peasant W:
employed TO point out with his divi
ing rod Protestants for massacre, II
der the plea of punishment for Grim
thav bad committed Tho diyiuino W