FEBRUARY 15, 1914 



157 



uttered any tlung so extravagant; but when 

 I read to them Luke 6 :22, 23, they made 

 profuse apologies all aiound. 



I mention these two incidents to show 

 how the child Pollyauna was, in her simple 

 faith, " head and shoulders " above the 

 whole community, not excepting the poor, 

 ivorried, and tried pastor of the churcli. 



Once in a while we tind a man (or wom- 

 an), not always a professing Christian, who 

 can look kind and pleasant when big quar- 

 rels are started. I know a few such. One 

 man (who may see this) has many a time 

 turned angry looks to smiles by his happy 

 way of starting innocent jokes when trouble 

 loomed up ahead. He is alm.ost always 

 '' glad." A daily at my elbow tells of a 

 policeman who, while looking into the bar- 

 rel of a revolver in the hand of a man who 

 declared he would never be arrested, talked 

 kindly to the man, and finally induced him 

 to surrender peaceably, when he would like- 

 ly have killed several more of his townsmen 

 otherwise. 



A few weeks ago I asked you to pray for 

 me that I might have grace to meet the boys 

 that annoyed me a year ago. Well, for a 

 time they seemed to have forgotten all about 

 it until during the holidays, when there was 

 no school. As I came out of the postofiPice 

 one day there was a yell I understood, and 

 a crowd of boys were climlnng all over my 

 machine. 



Asking the Savior to guide me T said, 

 " Why, hello, boys ! How many do you 

 suppose this machine will pull? Climb in, 

 all of you, and we will try." This, of course, 

 was unexpected. By managing just right 

 I succeeded in taking the whole load through 

 the streets and up to the bank. It seemed 

 risky leaving them with the machine; but T 

 decided the good will of the town boys was 

 of more value than a whole automobile, and 

 went into the bank. I had to wait a little; 

 and when, on looking out of the window. 1 

 saw them pulling and twisting every thing 

 movable, my faith and courage began to. 

 fail. Just then the story in the Bible of how 

 God told his jDeople to stand still and see 

 him. fight the battle came into my mind. 

 When I was ready to go, to my surprise 

 the engine started promptly. At the grocery 

 where I traded the proprietor said : 



" Mr. Root, won't that gang of boys in- 

 jure your machine?" 



He seemed surprised when I didn't seem 

 disturbed, and he then spoke again. 



" Mr. Root, they are actually wheeling it 

 aAvay. Nobody knows where you will find 

 it when you are ready to go." 



I presume he thought it strange I didn't 

 call the marshal; but as I saw it moving 

 away I remembered a story of some mission- 



aries who held a consultation as to whether 

 they should fight the natives who were going 

 to destroy the church, or trust to the power 

 of prayer. What do you suppose happened "I 

 When I was ready to go 1 found my prop- 

 erty intact, about ten feet from where I left 

 it, and not a boy in sight. The old doctrine 

 of " an eye for an eye and a tooth for a 

 tooth" would have landed both boys and 

 myself — where? The individual who can 

 " rejoice and be glad " under all circum- 

 stances will not only be a power in his own 

 community, but — listen to what the scrip- 

 ture says : " He that overcometh and keep- 

 eth my words unto the end, to him will I 

 give power over the nations." 



THE DIVINING-RODj OR " WATER-WITCHING.^' 



On page 662 I classed the above among 

 the suiDerstitions. Since that has been in 

 ]nint I am glad to see vai ions periodicals 

 taking it up. The Scientifi,c American^ in 

 answer to an inquirer, indorsed my state- 

 ment. The Country Gentleman informs us 

 that Germanj' is making exhaustive investi- 

 gations to see if it is a humbug. Their con- 

 clusion seems to be that these people who 

 call themselves water-witches may have a 

 sort of " intuition " that enables them to 

 guess shrewdly where water is most likely 

 to be found; and, of course, this queer 

 thing which they call " intuition " would 

 not work with their eyes blinded. In re- 

 gard to the witch-hazel or peach-tree switch 

 they agree that the water-witch must in- 

 voluntarily make the thing swing around. 

 This explanation, you will see, admits that 

 the water-Avitch may be honest and sincere. 

 The German people call the water-witch a 

 " dowser." With this explanation let me 

 quote from the Country Gentleman: 



Oui- home-bred scientists have, in a way of speak- 

 ing, doused the dowser with cold water. Replying 

 to the German savants, the majority of a jury of 

 American scientists have rendered this verdict: The 

 divining-rod theory is all rot! "Yes, rot," asserts 

 Professor Hering, who occupies the chair of physics 

 at the New York University. " I don't think any 

 competent scientist in this country has ever taken 

 the divining-rod seriously or attempted to experiment 

 with it. Although I have seen it tested several times 

 T have never seen an attempt to locate water with 

 it result in success." George C. Stone, of the Amer- 

 ican Institute of Mining Engineers, echoes this sen- 

 timent. Professor Peele, of the Columbia School of 

 Mines, adds his contempt for the dowser, and tags 

 him as a charlatan and faker. During the recent 

 drouth Kansas tried the " water witch " along with 

 the rainmakers. But he failed, or the water proved 

 to lie salty when he did find it. 



T am glad to see the matter brought to 

 tlie attention of men who stand away up in 

 jn-actical experience in matters that should 

 fit them to become judges. 



