NINE TAILORS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 334, 16 November 1945, Page 5

NINE TAILORS

Sir,-The Nine Tailors, Edmund Wil-. son says, takes "the layman through the mysteries and jargon" of campanology. Ought not a lay critic to make himself conversant with the "mysteries and jargon" of the specialised books he reviews, and so escape being embrangled with their technicalities? In his review of The Nine Tailors, Mr. Wilson was caught with the "jargon" of bell-ringers. For instance, he writes "while a heavy peal of chimes was being rung." This no doubt caused many a bell-ringer to raise an eyebrow, for chimes are chimed not

rung, and one speaks of a peal of bells, not "a peal of chimes." Moreover, church-bell chimes are not even mentioned in the book, However, enoughe about that. I find the title, The Nine Tailors, more interesting, for there we have matter for a quiz right up to ZB standard. Why tailors? And again, why nine of them to make a man? Before the use of writing the method of keeping accounts was by tailler, i.e., cutting. Notches were cut on pieces of wood, hence the terms "to keep a tailler, a tail, tally, and-tallies," but in bellringing language the old English word tailler (tailor) is still in use. All through Efglish history to the present time church bells have been used as signals. The tailler bell, interpreted "teller" by Miss Sayers (page 38), signalled the passing from this life of a child, woman, or man, so that all could pray for him or her. (To-day the tailler bell is called the passing-bell and is tolled after the person has passed!) Why do nine taillers make a man? Because it is easier to set a heavy bell up on the third swing, after "getting the feel of the bell" with the first two swings, so the custom arose that a signal of three tailler, tailor, or teller tolls denoted a dying child, six taillers a woman, and nine taillers make a man.

ROB

(Kaitaia),