All the parts must work together for the good of the whole. In union there is strength and safety.

Once upon a time all the parts of the body began to complain of how little the stomach did, and of what each one did to support that lazy member.

“Just look at that stupid old stomach,” said the mouth. “It won’t say a word; never sings a song. Won’t even say ‘thank you,’ for what I let go by me on the way down to fill it up. I am getting tired of opening and shutting and swallowing and never a word of thanks.”

“You are perfectly right,” said the hands. “Here we are working hard all day, digging and pulling and pushing and doing our best to make a little money. Our palms are hard and knotty, and sometimes our fingers are sore and cold. Then to make it worse, when we come home we have to lift food to go into that good-for-nothing stomach, and never a word do we get for it.”

The head nodded violently: “Yes, indeed!” it said. “I have to lie awake at night thinking of ways to make food. I sometimes am positively worn out worrying about where I am going to find provisions enough to satisfy that stomach. I should think it would make some suggestions of its own, but not a sound do I ever hear.”

Then the legs began to beat on the floor in order to be heard.

“You have no idea how bad we feel,” said they. “We have to go about all day carrying that old stomach from one place to another. We have to stand up and sit down, and the loads that are put on us are absolutely frightful. Sometimes we are so tired out that we positively tremble with weakness. And as for getting any consideration—not a bit of it!”

All the other members joined it. The eyes said they kept a sharp look out; the ears said they listened for every sound, and even the ribs said they stood guard to catch any blow that might fall on the stomach.

The members all agreed not to help the stomach any more. The head would not think; the hand would not work; the mouth would not swallow, and so no more food went into the stomach.

But see what happened! The legs grew too weak to walk; the hands were too feeble to move; the head was dizzy from lack of strength, and all the body shrunk until it looked like a shadow.

Then the stomach spoke up at last and said:

“You foolish members! Do you not know that in feeding me you are feeding yourselves? You put food into me but I send it back to you in blood and strength so that you can all work. Unless you feed me I cannot help you.”

The head nodded wisely and said: “The stomach is right. Come, let us all go to work again, so that the good old stomach may give us back our strength.”