Evening journal., 1907-06-07
DOOR KEYS IN SWEDEN
Curious Custom Of Hanging Them
Outside the Dcora.
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 so calling, they
lock up and then hang the door key on
the bell or the do0rknob or some other
conspicuous place. When they go visit
ing for few weeks. bolts and bars ar
slid into place. and then out goes the
key. If the house is shut up for an en-
tire season or fun year, the gayly
swinging door key says "Not at home
TO passersby.
There is no kicking your heels on the
doormat In Sweden while the bell or
lznocker awakes the echoes IA an emp
~ house. Agents, peddlers. friends
and 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 pat TO good
use in many instances when visitors
were not wanted. Instead OF telling
the maid to inform callers that Mrs.
Jones is not at home the mistress says
to Jennie: "1ang out the door key at
O'Clock this afternoon and bring IL IN
at 8. ! don't wish to see any one for a
few hours"
About the first Of the month in Ger
tain districts door keys swing to the
breezes In great numbers and collect
OTIS, knowing the custom and also its
misuse. scratch their heads in perplex.
ity at 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 q 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 a
creditor has entered a house in which
he supposes the owner to be hiding on
~ TO find II 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 illegitimate 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
an 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 a few of the more suspi-
4 cious. OF 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 aud
use another door for exit when they
leave home for an extended visit. the
old residents actually leave their homes
at the disposal Of any who may care to
enter.
Friends. who call and find the key
out feel at perfect liberty to 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" or
priests to travel through Swedish vii
lagos. stopping to leave their blessing
on the households Of the nelghborhoOd.
These visits we're looked forward to
with eagerness BY the pious Swedes,
and II was considered an act Of gross
] 1eff n IL.
whatever reason. against a holy man.
Consequently II a family left home the
key was always put out against the ar.
rival OF the priest Meat and drink
were left, and shoUld the holy man
stop at a vacant house he entered, re.
freshed himself. left his blessing In the
form Of a candle or a bottle OF holy
water or bit Of consecratea green aud
passed Thus the custom originated
and, although these quaint villages
have become towns and travelling
priests have passed away and the in
fiux Of other nations has modernized
Sweden and brought the evil Of theft
With il. the door keys still hang out a:
evidence Of trust and open doored hos
pitality.
/ A thief seldom takes down one oi
the keys and cutters. for there is tbs
uncertainty about the absence Of thu
residents spoken Of to hold him back
and the knowledge that an exposed
door key may merely mean that tn
owner has stepped across to the store
and will return any minute makes
tampering with property risky busi
ness.
These facts, together with the biz
one that Swedes are one Of the mos
honest people on the face Of the globe
make a custom safe there which woulC
be a foolhardy tempting Of misfortune
in our land Of the free."-I.os An
geles Times.