The Father and His Sons

A father had several sons who were forever quarreling among themselves. One accused another of taking a tool. Another complained that he had done the greater share of work. Harsh words passed from mouth to mouth until the house, which should have been cheerful, often felt colder than the yard in winter.

The father advised them many times. He spoke of patience, of brotherhood, and of the good that comes when hands work together. Yet his words soon vanished under the next dispute. At last he resolved to teach them by a thing they could see and feel.

One day he told them to bring him a bundle of sticks from the woodpile. The sticks were tied tightly with a cord. He gave the bundle first to the eldest son and asked him to break it. The young man bent it against his knee and strained with both hands, but the bundle held fast. One after another, the sons tried, and not one could break it.

Then the father untied the cord and handed the sticks to them separately. This time each stick snapped easily. The sound was small, but it made the lesson plain.

“My sons,” said the father, “when you are of one mind and help each other, you are like the sticks bound together, hard to break. But if you are divided among yourselves, you may be broken as easily as these single twigs.”

The sons looked at the broken pieces lying on the ground. They understood that their father had not been speaking merely of wood. From that day, though they still had different thoughts, they tried to remember the strength of the bundle.