Water Finders
Fon many centuries the powers of the divining rod remained unquestioned. But during the last century folks became sceptical and ridiculed the pretensions of the dowser, declaring that the alleged power was a delusion and that most of those who professed to possess it were tricksters.
The late Sir William Barrett, however, strongly supported the dowser ; so does Professor Mulcaster. And in the book under review the author claims that he has discovered springs in the most unlikely places, both in this country and in South Africa : moreover, he gives a very lengthy list of persons who have benefited by his skill. The rod, according to Mr. Tompkins, is referred to no less than 130 times in the Bible as a symbol of power or authority. Moses brought about the plagues of Egypt by the rod, divided the Red Sea, and turned water into blood by this means. It was with the rod he smote the rock and refreshed the thirsty Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness. He also used it as a token of victory in the conflict with the Amalekites.
The divining-rod is simply a forked twig of whitethorn or hazel about 18 inches long and about three years in age of growth. The usual method of using it is to hold the ends in each hand, with the end of the fork pointing downwards. The dowser then walks slowly over the ground until the fork suddenly twists upwards, revealing the presence of water, Sometimes the movement is so violent that it breaks the rod, or it may fly out of the dowser's hands.
Whether this power is merely a muscular spasm is a matter open to doubt : the dowsers allege that they experience a tingling sensation in the arms and body when passing over water.
It would appear to be proved that dowsers are more often successful than not in finding water. Thus we are told of an•OxfOrdshire landowner, who, after having sunk an arte- sian well to a depth of 312 feet without obtaining a drop of water, called in the author, who pointed out a spot where he declared water would be found at no great depth. A well was sunk, and at a depth of 30 feet a supply. of 10,000 gallons of water a day was discovered. These and many other stories of successful divination give us pause : there are many things in heaven and earth not comprehended by our philosophy, and water-finding may be one of them. Certainly Mr. Tompkins! little bOok is worth reading and pondering over.
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