The Man that Rum Made
The man that rum made: with temperance lessons and stories was edited by James Edson White and Mrs. Lilian Dale Avery-Stuttle, both with strong ties to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Published in 1912 by Nashville Book Company in Marshall, MI, the book features illustrated short stories that introduce the detrimental effects of drinking and smoking. The title page features a round stamp "Sabbath readings for the home circle" and a quote from the Bible (1 Corinthians 9:25-27):
Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
The 254-page volume starts with a rhyming picture story about "the man that rum made." The book depicts the danger signals of various alcoholic beverages in a short text on the odd pages, followed by an illustration on the uneven pages. The second picture story follows the same structure to portray the consequences of drinking, including the effects of alcohol on the human body.
The colorful illustrations in the two picture stories aim to engage readers of all ages with strong imagery engaging them to provoke an emotional response. Many of these powerful sketches might be labeled "triggering" nowadays. The goal of sharing dreadful, offensive, and distasteful images was to captivate the reader's senses and draw them more deeply into the writing.
The stories, with more illustrations, dive deeper into the topic from the same perspective. In addition to alcohol, smoking cigarettes and cigars is also singled out as addictive, pointing out "cigarette poison" and smoking and drinking as companions.
The book concludes with "A campaign for better books for the young" from the publisher. According to their statement, the "Nashville Book Company was organized for the express purpose of providing for the children and the youth a clean, uplifting, educating, yet intensely interesting literature."
- Read the full volume of The man that rum made the Internet Archive SALIS Collection
Cover of the book
A man in a tattered jacket holding a bottle and raising a glass.
Hard cider
Illustration of two children leaning on a cider barrel, included in one of the book's picture stories. Facing page reads "This is the cider, the rumseller's tinder, That goes with the weed that sowed the seed for making the man that rum made."
Tipsy whiskey keg
Illustration of a tipsy whiskey keg, wearing a top hat, included in one of the book's picture stories. Facing page reads "This is the whisky to make you tipsy, That follows the wine, the red, red wine, Alluring from beer, the jolly good lager, firm friend of cider, the rumseller's tinder, That goes with the weed that sowed the seed for making the man that rum made."
"Throat of a whisky bloat"
Illustration of the "throat of a whisky bloat" included in one of the book's picture stories
Liver
Illustration of a liver, "pickled and shrunk" by alcohol, included in one of the book's picture stories
Stomachs
Illustration of healthy and alcohol-affected stomachs labeled A through C, included in one of the book's picture stories. Caption reads "A Healthy Stomach B Stomach of Drunkard C Stomach of Drunkard with Delirium Tremens."
Rum nose
Illustration of a man with a "rum nose" from one of the picture stories. Facing page reads "This is the nose that blossoms and grows On the face of the man that rum made."
Disheveled drinker
Illustration of a disheveled drinker included in one of the book's picture stories. Facing page reads "This is the man that rum made."