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Show j Witching for Water The idea that a forked twig, or ! so-called divining rod, is useful in locating lo-cating minerals, finding the hidden treasures and detecting criminals is a curious superstition that has been a subject of discussion since the middle of the sixteenth century and still has a strong hold on the popular mind, even in this country. It is evident from the large number of inquiries received each year by the United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, as to the efficacy of such a twig, especially for locating underground water. To furnish fur-nish a reply to these inquiries the Geological Survey has published a brief paper, by Arthur J. Ellis, on the history of water witching, with a bibliography that includes a truly astonishing number of books and pamphlets on this uncanny subject. In summary the paper states: It is doubtful whether much investigation investiga-tion and discussion have been bestowed be-stowed on any other subject with such absolute lack of positive results. re-sults. It is difficult to see how for practical purposes the entire matter could be more thoroughly discredited. discredit-ed. It is by no means true that all persons using a forked twig or some other device for locating water or other minerals are intentional de-cievers. de-cievers. Some of them are doubtless doubt-less men of good character and benevolent be-nevolent intentions. However, as anything that can be deeply veiled in mystery affords a good opportunity opportuni-ty for swindlers, there can be no reasonable doubt that many of the large group of professional finders of water, oil and other minerals who take pay for their "services" or for the sale of their "instruments" are deliberately defrauding the people and that the total amount of money they obtain is large. To all Inquirers Inquir-ers the United States Geological Survey Sur-vey therefore gives the advice not to expend any money for the services of any "water witch" or for the use or purchase of any machine or instrument in-strument devised for locating underground under-ground water or minerals. History of the Superstition In tracing the history of the subject sub-ject it is found that -divining rods have been used (1) to locate ore deposits, (2) to discover buried or hidden treasure, (3) to find lost landmarks and reestablish property boundaries, (4) to detect criminals, (5) to analyze personal character, (6) to cure diseases, (7) to trace lost or strayed domestic animals, (8) to insure immunity against ill fortune by the use of a fetish, (9) to locate well sites, (10) to trace the courses of underground streams, (11) to determine the amount of water available by drilling at a given giv-en Bpot, (12) to determine the depth at which water or ores occur, (13) to determine the direction of cardinal cardi-nal points, (14) to determine the heights of trees, and (15) to analyze ana-lyze 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 Aricola's "De re mettallca" which was published in 1556. The device became common first in Germany Ger-many as a means for locating mines and also for discovering burled treasure, a matter of rather common interest in those days, when the practice prac-tice of burying money and plate for safe keeping was very general. It was introduced into England by German Ger-man miners during the reign of Elizabeth Eli-zabeth (1558-1603) and bere the end of the seventeenth century it had spread through the countries of Europe. Everywhere it aroused controversy. The rules prescribed for the cutting of the twig partook largely of heathern sorcery and astrology. as-trology. There were Indeed, to some extent, unconscious reminiscences of the old Scandinavian and even the Aryan mythology. But this heathen heath-en influence was offset when the rod was duly Christianized by baptism, being laid for this purpose in the bed with a newly baptized child, by whose Christian name it was afterward af-terward addressed. It is readily concievable that the motive for surrounding sur-rounding this practice with a religious relig-ious atmosphere might not have been altogether a belief in its divine character, for at that time anyone found engaged in mysterious works was in danger of being charged with sorcery and burned to death. Use in Detecting; Criminals The divining rod continued to be a favorite subject with alchemistic writers until about 1660, when a new turn of affairs brought about by a Jesuit father, who denounced i it as an instrument controlled by the devil. The subject was then taken up by the church, and for more than I 100 years It was hotly debated by I the churchmen. Some approved it land authorired its use on church property; others condemned it and j threatened those who used it with j excommunication. In 1692, the year i of the Salem witchcraft, its notoriety J was greatly Increased by the arrest land execution of a criminal through the agency of a divining rod used ' by a peasant. Interest in this case I was interne and widosprsad and call- ed forth a large amount of literature. litera-ture. As late as 1703 this peasant was employed to point out with his divining rod Protestants for massacre, massa-cre, under the plea of punishment for crimes they had committed. The divining rod was in some respects closely related to witchcraft, as Is suggested by the use of Incantations in connection with divining, and to this relationship can be ascribed in some measure the strengthening of belief in it. Witchcraft at that time had become a frenzy, and anything which by any stretch of the imagination imagina-tion could be suspected of implication implica-tion with witchcraft became a subject sub-ject of discussion and the basis of firm opinions and beliefs. In 1701, however, the Inquisition issued a decree de-cree against the further use of the divining rod in criminal prosecution, and this use of the device rapidly came to an end. Recent Discussions In the latter part of the eighteenth century an attempt was made to explain ex-plain water witching as an electric phenomenon, and later it was discussed dis-cussed as a psychic phenomenon. At almost every step in the advance of science some one has attempted to explain Its supposed operation by means of the lateBt scientific theories. theo-ries. Before the present war there were several societies in Germany whose sole object was said to be the study of the divining rod. In 1910 the Department of Agriculture of France appointed a committee to Investigate In-vestigate the subject, and In 1914 this committee was still Investigating. Investigat-ing. A copy of the Government report which is published as Water-Supply Paper 416, can be obtained by addressing ad-dressing the Director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. |