During the winter that followed his father's marriage, John's
stepmother's brother came to live with the family; and the influence of
this stepuncle, whose name was Ed, was as bad or worse than Will's or
Charley's could ever have been; for Ed was older and wiser, and knew
much more of sin.

In Ed's home both the father and the mother used tobacco a long time
before their child was born. When he was just a little infant, he
worried and cried a great deal. He continued to do this, seemingly never
to be satisfied, until finally the parents imagined that he wanted
tobacco; and sure enough he did. The mother tied a small amount in a rag
and gave it to her baby to suck, and immediately he became quiet and
contented. So, from that time she gave him tobacco to stop his crying.
As he grew, the quantity he used gradually increased until, when he was
in his teens, he spent much of his money for tobacco. He went without
many of the necessary things of life in order that he might have the
money those things would cost to spend for tobacco.

The Bible tells us that God is abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin ... Parents may be sorry for their sins, and be forgiven for
their transgressions; but their children must suffer from inherited
ill-dispositions, unnatural appetites, or diseases.... Oh, what a
responsibility is resting upon the parents of the future generations!

Now, tobacco acts directly on the mind. It clouds the understanding and
dulls the memory; and sometimes it has much worse effects. The story is
told of the experience of a brilliant young man--a graduate from Andover
College--who, for a time, seemed to have a wonderful future before him.