The Father and His Sons

A Father had sons who were always quarrelling among themselves. As he could not stop their quarels, he decided to teach them a lesson.

One day he told them to bring jim a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them ib succession, and ordered them to break it into pieces. They tried with all their strenght, and were not able to do it. He opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them them into his sons’ hands, and then they broke them easily.

Then the old man addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attepmts of your enemies. But if you are devided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks”.