Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-05-18
DOOR KEYS IN SWEDEN
Curious Custom Of Hanging Them
Outside the Doors.
HOUSES LOCKED, YET OPEN.

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 go calling, they
lock up and then hang the door key Oh
the bell or the doorknOb or some other
conspicuous place. When they go visit
ING for n few weeks, bolts and bars are
slid into place, and then out goes the
key. If the house is shut up for an en-
tire season or a full year, the gayly
swinging door key says Not at home
to passersDy.
There is no kicking your heels on the
doormat In Sweden while the bell OF
knocker awakes the echoes In an emp
ty house. Agents, peddlers' frlenus
md relatives all know this message OF
the door key and seeing it out pass by
As can be readily imagined, TINS
strange custom has been put to goou
use in many instances when visltors
wore not wanted. Instead OF telling
the maid to Inform callers that Mis-
ZONES is not at home the mistress says
TO Jennie: Hang out the door Key III .
o'cl3ck this afternoon and bring II III
ot5 cont wish TO see any one for
| few hours.
About the first of the month III GER
tain districts door keys swing 10 'he
nl,e2cs ia great numbers, and collect
ara. knowing the custom and also It's
misuse scratch their heads in perpleX-
ity nj 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 sal
on the other side of the locked door
and chuckled. There have been III
stances where collector has taken
the key, unlocked the door and entered
the house to be met by the owner, VINO
calmly laughed over his ruse. Again
creditor has entered a house In whict
hc supposes the owner to be hiding on
" 70 find 1t vacant and to be caught Dl
the irate master. arrested and made L
nav q fine. while the debtor got an ex
tension of time on his bill.
These illegitimate uses OF this yer.
old custom of not only leaving IN
latchstring out, but also putting tn
door KEY at the disposal of all WI
mass are not discovered at first glance
and they are really very much IN IN
minority. for Sweden is pre-eminentl
an honest land. In and around abou
: Stockholm there is very little need
policemen or strong boxes, for ever
man however low down In the sOcla
scale. seems to have due respect 10
anOther's property.
Although q few Of the more susp
. cious. or the foreigners who have nc
y been brought up In this strange GU
, tom of leaving the door key out, ma
lock ND with bolts from the inside an
y use another door for exit when the
{ leave home for an extended visit II
l. old residents actually leave their home
. ut the disposal Of any who may care
|
:, enter.
u, II Friends who call and find the Ike
" out feel at perfect liberty to unlock Il
IL door, enter and rest bit before pas
ing on. Strangers seldom misuse Il
confidence.
N The custom started ages ago when
nj was the usual thing for "holy men"
n. priests to travel through Swedish V
re Ilages, stopping to leave their blessii
al on the households of the nelghborhOo
k These visits we're looked forward
~ with eagerness by the pious Swed'
I'd and it was considered an act of gro'
IF est discourtesy to bar the door, I
lie whatever reason, against a holy ma
" Consequently if family left home I
in key was always put out against the
Is rival Of the priest. Meat and dri
re were left, and should the holy m
nd sion at a vacant house he entered,
NO freshed himself left his blessing IN |
re form of a candle or bottle or DC
of water or a bit of consecrated green a
on passed. Thus the custom originate
;ly and, although these quaint villat
fl have become towns and traveii
I'D priests have passed away and the
he flux of other nations has modernl2
all Sweden and brought the evil of tn
e. with it, the door keys still hang out
evidence Of trust and open doored n
pitality.
ser A thief seldom takes down one
he the KEYS and enters, for there Is
EN- uncertainty about the absence Of
ite residents spoken Of to hold him ba
} Il and the knowledge that an expos
IS" door key may merely mean that
an owner has stepped across to the ST
ks and will return any minute ma
40 tampering with property risky b'
up ness.
ial These facts, together with the
us. one that Swedes are one Of the m
,di- honest people on the face OF the gle
ian make a custom safe there which wo
yo- be q foolhardy tempting Of misfort
in In our "land Of the free."-Los
z a geles Times.
18th Found an Excuse.
as One Easter Methodist minister
IgNa