In an ancient city of the East there were seven brothers
who were constantly quarreling among themselves. They
fell out about the way their father divided his property
among them; they argued about the number of camels
each had a right to; they disagreed over the management 5
of their business; and altogether they behaved so
rudely to each other that their acquaintances came to speak
of them as the "unbrotherly brothers."
Their father was much grieved over the actions of his
sons, and he pondered long what means to take to teach them 10
a lasting lesson. At length he called them together in
his own house and spoke to them in this manner:
"As you know, I still have much wealth of my own. The
whole of this I shall bequeath to that son of mine who can
perform a task I have to set. Should two or more succeed, 15
the property will be divided equally among the winners.
But before any of you can take part in this contest, each
must pledge himself to live up fully to any lesson he may
have exemplified here this day. Are you willing to make
me this promise?" 20
Each stepped forth in turn and gave a solemn assurance to
his father that come what might he would be true in spirit
and in deed to any lesson that the test might bring forth.
The father then took from a chest a bundle of seven sticks,
ingeniously tied together. "In accordance with what I 25
have said," he told them, "whichever of you breaks these
sticks shall be the winner of the prize."
Each tried in turn, beginning with the youngest. Each
tugged and strained in vain. At best the bundle could only
be bent. Finally the turn of the seventh came, and he
too was unsuccessful. They all said the task could not be
done and agreed that they had failed. 5
Thereupon the father took the bundle, sought out the
end of the cord that held the sticks together, and unwound
it at a single pull. Seizing each stick separately he broke
all seven, one after another, before his astonished sons
could protest. 10
"Now," said he, "those broken sticks are you, my seven
sons. As long as you hold together, nobody can break your
friendship or your reputation. When you fall apart, anybody
can make broken reeds of you. Need I say more
about the lesson that you have pledged yourselves to learn 15
in spirit and in deed?"
The rebuke touched the seven brothers. They agreed to
forget their petty grievances, thanked their father for the
lesson he had taught them, and gladly joined in a big feast
he had had prepared. And thereafter all who knew them 20
spoke of them as "the seven blood brothers."
1. Did the seven brothers have any good reason for
quarreling? About what matters did they disagree?
What is the difference between disagreeing and
quarreling? How did they probably get into their
contentious habits?
2. What was their father's agreement with them? Was
it a fair one? What part of the story is
illustrated on page 214?
3. This is an old story retold. Groups of seven,
three, or twelve are very common in folk tales and
legends. See how many famous groups of seven you
can find.