*** start of the project gutenberg ebook 1048 *** the ruling passion by henry van dyke a writer's request of his master let me never tag a moral to a story, nor tell a story without a meaning. make me respect my material so much that i dare not slight my work. help me to deal very honestly with words and with people because they are both alive. show me that as in a river, so in a writing, clearness is the best quality, and a little that is pure is worth more than much that is mixed. teac...