Two mothers, each with their infant clasped in their arms are seen asleep under a cedar tree in Palestine. One suddenly awakes to find her little one dead, she is horror stricken, when suddenly, an idea comes to her which she at once proceeds to carry out, she takes the living babe from the still sleeping mother, and replaces it with her own dead one. The second mother now awakens to find the dead baby in her arms and at once sees it is not her child, a dispute ensues when a patriarch appears on the scene and parting the two women takes them before his master. In one of the sumptuous rooms of the King's palace, the people are assembled. King Solomon is carried in by his slaves preceded by his guard and beautiful dancing girls who scatter flowers in his path. He takes a seat upon the throne and the two mothers are brought before him, each claiming the living child as hers. Solomon, filled with divine justice, orders the child to be cut in two and half to be given to each mother, but as the soldier holds up the child by its leg ready to obey the order given, the real mother begs that rather than kill the child it be given to the other woman. "This is the true mother, give her the child," said Solomon. The other mother is carried away by the soldiers.

Source: Pathé Freres