The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-06-20
DOOR KEYS IN SWEDEN
Curious Custom Of Hanging Then
Outside the Doors.
HOUSES LOCKED, YET OPEN
The Dangling Key Informs You tn,
Tenants Are Out, but Friends Whc
csIl Are at Liberty to Unlock th'
Door and Enter and Rest.

Door and Enter and Rest.
When the Swcdes go calling. they
lock up aud then hang the door key oil
the bell or the doorknob or some other
conspicuous place. When they 20 visit
Ing FOR few weeks, bolts and bars az,
slid into place. and then out goes the
key. If the house is shut up for an en-
tire season or full year. the gayly
swinging door key says Not at home
10 passershy.
There is no kicking your heels on the
doormat In Sweden while the bell ol
kuockcr awakes the echoes In an emp
ty house. Agents, pcddlers, friends
and relatives all know this message ui
the door key ana seeing 1t out pass 10y
As can be readily imagined. th
strange custom has been put to goou
use In many instances when visitor,
were not wanted Instead Of tellin'
the maid TO inform callers that Mrs
Jones is not at home the mistress says
TO Jennie: Hang out the door key at
o'clock this afternoon and bring 1t H.
at o. | don't wish to see any one for
few hours
About the first OF the month in Ger
tain districts door keys swing TO tn
brcezes in great numbers, and collect
ors, knowing the custom and also 81
misuse, scratch their heads in perpleA
ity at this not at home signal
Many amusing stories are told o.
creditors sitting down TO await the re-
turn of their man while the debtor sat
or the other side OF the locked doc.
and Chuckled. There have been I'm
stances where collector has taken
the key, unlocked the door and entered
the house to be met by the owner, who
calmly laughed over his ruse. Again
creditor has entered a house In which
lac supposes the owner TO be hiding on
ly 10 find It vacant and TO be caught b.
the lrate master, arrested and made e.
pay u fine, while the debtor got an ex
tension of time on his bill.
These illegitimate uses of this very
old custom of not only leaving the
latchstring out but also putting tho
door key at the disposal Of all who
pass, are not discovered at first glance
and they are really very much In thr
minority, for Sweden Is pre-cminentl!
an honest land In and around abou.
Stockholm there Is very little need OF
policemen or strong boxes. for every
man, however low down I'm the soCia
scale, seems TO have due respect fol
another's property.
Although few OF the more suspl
cious, or the foreigners who have moi
been brought up In this strange Gus
tom of leaving the door key ont, may
lock up with bolts from the inside and
use another door for exit when they
leave home for an extended visit. IN,
old residents actually leave their homeI
nt the disposal OF any who may care {,
enter
Friends who call and find the key
out feel at perfect liberty 10 unlock the
door. enter and rest bit before pass
ing on. Strangers seldom misuse the
confidence.
The custom started ages ago when II
was the usual thing for "holy men" OF
priests to travel through Swedish vii
lagos, stopping TO leave their blessing
on the households OF tho nelghborhood
These visits were looked forward tC
with eagcrness by the plous Swedes
and II was considered an act OF gross
est discourtcsy TO bar the door. foI
whatever reason, against n holy man
Consequently II a family left home N
key was always put out against the ar
rival OF the priest. Meat and drlnl
were left, and should the holy mar
stop at vacant house he entered, re
freshed himself, left his blessing In IN,
form of candle or n bottle Of holy
water or hit OF consecrated green ant
passed. Thus the custom originated
and, although these quaint Villages
have become towns and travelnl
priests have passed away and the in
fiuX Of other nations has modernlzet
Sweden and brought the evil OF thief
with It, the door keys still hang ont n
evidence OF trust and open doorcd hos
pltality.
A thief seldom takes down one %
the keys and enters, for there Is III
uncertainty about the absence Of n,
residents spoken Of to hold him hacl,
and !hc knowledge that an expose,
door key may merely mean that TN
owner has stepped across to the stor,
and will return any minute make
tampering with property risky busi
ness.
These facts, together with the bli
one that Swedes are one OF the mos
honest people on the face OF the glob,
make a custom safe there which woull
be a foolhardy tempting OF mlsfortun
in our "land OF the free,"-Los An
geles Times.