Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-07-02
DOOR KEYS IN SWEDEN
Curious Custom Of Hanging Them
Outside the Doors.
HOUSES LOCKED, YET OPEN.

nUUS6S IOCN6U, IEI Vt cVs
The Dangling Key Informs You the
Tenants Are Out, but Friends Who
Call Are at Liberty to Unlock the
Door and Enter and Rest.
When the Swedes 60 calling, they
lock up Aid ihen hang the door key on
the bell or the dOorknob or some other
conspicuous place. When they 60 visit
ing for few weeks, bolts and bars are
slid into place, und then out goes the
key. II the house Is shut up for an en-
tire season or u full year, the gayly
swinging door key says mot at home"
To passersby.
There Is no kicking your heels on the
doormat In Sweden while the bell or
anopaer :akes the echoes In an emp
ty house. Agents, peddlers. friends
ind relatives all know this message OF
the door key and seeing 1t out pass by.
AS can be readily imagined, this
strange custom has been put to good
use In many instances when visitors
were not wanted. Instead OF telling
the maid to inform callers that Mrs.
Jones is not ut home the mistress says
to Jennie: "IIang out the door key at 8
o'clock this afternoon and bring 1t In
ut j. ! don't wish to see any one for u
few hours"
About the first of the month In GER
tain districts door keys swing to the
brcezes In great numbers. and collect
ors, knowing the custom and also Its
misuse, scratch their heads in perplex-
ity ut this not at home signal.
Many amusing stories are told OF
creditors sitting down to await the re-
turn Of their man while the debtor sat
on the other side of the locked door
and chuckled. There have been In
stances where collector has taken
the key, unlocked the door and entered
the house to be met by the owner, who
culmly laughed over his ruse. Again
creditor has entered house In which
he sup,,oses the owner to be hiding OH
" to find 1t vacant and to be caught by
the irate master, arrested and made to
pay fine, while the debtor got an ex'
tension of time on his bill.
These Legitimate uses Of this very
old custom Of not only leaving the
latchstring out. but also putting the
door key at the disposal Of all who
pass, are not discovered at first glance.
and they are really very much In the
minority, for Sweden is pre-eminently
IN honest land. In and around about
Stockholm there Is very little need OF
policemen or strong boxes. for every
man. however low down In the social
scale. seems to have due respect for
another's property.
Although q few Of the more suspi-
cious. or the foreigners who have not
been brought up In this strange GUS
tom of leaving the door key out may
lock Up with bolts FROM The inside and
usp another door for exit when they
lc;vc home for an extended visit. the
old residents actually leave their homes
mt the disposal of any who may care to
enter.
Friends who call and find the key
cut feel Mt perfect liberty to unlock the
door, enter and rest bit before pass
Ing Oh. Strangers seldom misuse the
confidence.
The custom started ages ago when 1t
was the usual thing for "holy men" or
priests TO travel through Swedish VII
lagos. stopping to leave their blessing
OIL the households Of the neighbOrhoOd.
These visits were looked forward to
with easerness by the pious Swedes.
md 1t was considered an act Of gross
est discourtesy to bar the door, for
whatever reason. against holy man.
Consequently II family left home the
key was always put ont against the ar.
rival OF the priest. Meat and drink
were left. and should the holy man
stop Mt Il vacant house he entered, re-
freshed himself. left his blessing In the
form Of candle or Il bottle Of holy
water or bit Of consecrated green and
passed Thus the custom originated,
and. although these quaint villages
have become towns and travelling
priests have passed away and the In
aux Of other nations has modernized
Sweden and brought the evil of theft
with 1t. the door keys still hang out us
evidence Of trust and open doored hos
pitality.
A thief seldom takes down one Of
the keys and enters. for there Is the
uncertainty about the absence Of the
residents spoken of to hold him back,
and the knowledge that an exposed
door key Eiay merely mean Tat the
owner has stepped across to the store
and will return any minute makes
tampering with property risky bust
ness.
These facts. together with the big
one that Swedes are one Of the most
honest people on the face Of the globe,
make custom safe there which would
be Il foolhardy tempting Of misfortune
in our "land of tie free."-Los An
geleS Times.