The Old Man and his Sons

All day long the old man's sons argued. They argued over breakfast and they argued over the chores, and then they argued over who had started the argument.

"Enough!" said the old man. He went outside and came back with a fat bundle of sticks, tied tight with cord, and he dropped it on the table. "Break that," he said.

The eldest son heaved at the bundle until his face went red. Nothing. The next son tried it over his knee. Nothing. The youngest stood on it and jumped up and down. Nothing. "It cannot be done," they said.

"You see?" said the old man. "While these sticks stay together, nothing can break them. But look how feeble they become when they are apart."

He drew one thin stick from the bundle and broke it over the eldest son's head. Snap! "Ow!" said the eldest son. He drew out another, and he broke that one too. Snap! "Ow!" said the next son.

And on he went, one stick after another, until every son had had a turn.