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Show Ancient Wooden Locks Burden for Strong Man The most common lock now in use on exterior doors of buildings is the cylinder lock developed by Linus Yale. Jr., and this leads us back into history. his-tory. Primitive prototypes of Yale's , invention were in use in Mesopotamia and Egypt as early as 2000 B. C. These were huge wooden affairs requiring re-quiring cumbersome keys, as we may gather from the Bililican passage (Isaiah 22:22) "And the key to the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder." This key, or muftah as it ' was and still is called In the East, is a stick of wood from 15 to 30 inches long, 2 to 4 inches broad and 1 to 2 inches thick. Into the face of one end are set a number of wooden or iron pegs about an inch long. These pegs correspond with as many holes in the wooden bar or bolt which locks the door and can only be lifted when these pegs enter the holes and lift a corre sponding series of pins which drop home by force of gravity and keep the bar locked until pressed up by the key with Its pegs. Such huge keys opened the way into the mighty palaces pal-aces of Ninevah and I'ersepolls and admitted to "hundred-gated Thebes." Today in miniature and more refined fashion, the small key that enters the cylinder lock pushes up the little brass pins Inside and permits the opening of the door. Detroit Free I'ress. |