Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1901 — Nine Tailors Makes a Man. [ARTICLE]

Nine Tailors Makes a Man.

“Nine tailors make a man” grew out of the old clustom of bell-ringing. The ringing of bells was formerly practiced from a belief in their efficacy to drive away evil spirits. The “tailors” in the above phrase is a corruption of the word “tellers,” ot strokes tolled at the end of a knell. In some places the departure of an adult was announced by nine strokes in succession. Six were rung for a woman and three for a child. Hence it came to be said by those listening foi the announcement, "Nine tellers mak« a man.” As the custom became less general and the allusion less generally understood there was an easy transition from the word “tellers” to th« more familiar one “tailors,”