MU 1886, mabuku okwana 100 a Millennial Dawn, voliyumu 1, ananyamulidwa ku Beteli, yomwe inkatchedwa Nyumba ya Baibulo, imene inali mumzinda wa Allegheny ku Pennsylvania m’dziko la United States. Mabukuwa anapita nawo kumzinda wa Chicago ku Illinois. Charles Taze Russell ankafuna kugulitsa mabukuwa m’mashopu ogulitsira mabuku. Kampani ina yaikulu kwambiri ku United States yogulitsa mabuku achipembedzo inavomera kutenga mabukuwo kuti igulitse. Koma patangodutsa milungu iwiri, mabuku onsewo anabwezedwa ku Nyumba ya Baibulo.

Zinadzamveka kuti m’busa wina wodziwika kwambiri anakwiya ataona mabuku a Millennial Dawn ali pashelefu limodzi ndi mabuku ake. Atapsa mtima, ananena kuti ngati kampaniyo sichotsa mabukuwo, iye limodzi ndi abusa ena otchuka adzasamutsa mabuku awo n’kumakagulitsira kwina. Choncho mwiniwake wa shopuyo anadzachotsa mabukuwo n’kuwabweza monyinyirika. Kuwonjezera pamenepo, tinali titawatsatsa malonda m’nyuzipepala. Koma otsutsawo anapita kukauza a nyuzipepalawo kuti asatsatse malonda a mabukuwo. Ndiyeno kodi anthu ofuna choonadi anapeza bwanji mabuku atsopanowa?

Akopotala * ndi amene anathandiza kwambiri kuti anthu apeze mabukuwa. Mu 1881, Nsanja ya Olonda, yomwe pa nthawiyo inkatchedwa Zion’s Watch Tower, inanena kuti pakufunika anthu okwana 1,000 oti azifalitsa mabuku ofotokoza Baibulo nthawi zonse. Ngakhale kuti akopotala analipo mahandiredi ochepa okha, anathandiza kuti mbewu za choonadi zifalitsidwe m’madera ambiri. Pofika mu 1897, mabuku a Millenial Dawn pafupifupi 1 miliyoni anali atafalitsidwa ndipo akopotala ndi amene anagwira kwambiri ntchitoyi. Ambiri mwa akopotalawa ankangodalira kandalama kochepa kamene ankapeza kuchokera kwa munthu amene walembetsa kuti azilandira magazini ya Nsanja ya Olonda nthawi zonse kapena kwa munthu amene watenga buku.

Kodi akopotala olimba mtima amenewa anali anthu otani? Ena anayamba ukopotala ali achinyamata koma ena anayamba ali achikulire. Ena anali oti sali pa banja, ena anali a pa banja koma opanda ana komanso mabanja ena okhala ndi ana anachita nawo. Akopotala okhazikika ankalalikira tsiku lonse pamene akopotala othandiza ankalalikira ola limodzi kapena awiri pa tsiku. Koma ena sankatha kuchita ukopotala chifukwa cha matenda kapena mavuto ena. Ndiyeno pa msonkhano wachigawo mu 1906, anthu amene akanakwanitsa kuchita ukopotala anauzidwa kuti sikuti ankafunika “kukhala ophunzira kwambiri, aluso logometsa kapena olankhula ngati angelo.”

 M’zigawo zambiri padziko lapansi anthu wamba anali kugwira ntchito yaikulu. M’bale wina ananena kuti pa zaka 7 anafalitsa mabuku pafupifupi 15,000. Koma anati, “Ine sindinayambe ukopotala n’cholinga choti ndizingogulitsa mabuku koma kuti ndichitire umboni za Yehova ndi choonadi.” Kulikonse kumene akopotala ankapita, kunkamera mbewu za choonadi ndipo Ophunzira Baibulo ankawonjezeka.

Atsogoleri azipembedzo ankadana ndi akopotala ndipo ankawanena kuti ndi anthu ongogulitsa mabuku. Mu 1892, Nsanja ya Olonda inanena kuti: “Anthu ambiri sadziwa zoti [akopotala] akuimiradi Ambuye ndipo sadziwanso kuti Ambuye amawalemekeza [akopotalawa] chifukwa choti ndi odzichepetsa komanso odzipereka.” Koma kopotala wina ananena kuti sikuti iwo ankangodutsa moyera. Iwo ankayenda wapansi kapena pa njinga. Kudera limene anthu analibe ndalama, iwo ankasinthanitsa mabuku ndi chakudya. Akopotala akamaweruka mu utumiki kubwerera kunyumba, ankakhala otopa koma osangalala. Iwo ankakhala m’matenti kapena zipinda zalendi. Ndiyeno panakonzedwa Chingolo cha Akopotala chooneka ngati kalavani. * Iwo ankachigwiritsa ntchito ngati nyumba moti sankawononga ndalama kapena nthawi.

Kungoyambira pa msonkhano wachigawo wa mu 1893 ku Chicago, pa misonkhano yachigawo panayamba kukhala pulogalamu ya akopotala. Pa pulogalamu imeneyi, akopotala ankafotokoza zochitika mu utumiki, njira zolalikirira komanso malangizo othandiza. Pa nthawi ina, M’bale Russell anauza Akhristu odzipereka pa ntchito yolalikira amenewa kuti ayenera kudya chakudya chokwanira bwino m’mawa ndiponso kumwa mkaka cha m’ma 10 koloko. Ananenanso kuti ngati kukutentha azimwa zoziziritsa kukhosi zokhala ndi ayisikilimu.

Akopotala amene ankafuna munthu woti azilalikira naye ankavala kaliboni kachikasu. Amene angoyamba kumene ankalalikira limodzi ndi amene achita kwa nthawi ndithu. Zikuoneka kuti izi zinali zofunika kwambiri kuti akopotala atsopano aphunzitsidwe. Mwachitsanzo, kopotala watsopano wina pogawira mabuku anati, “Pepanitu, mwina simungafune mabukuwa eti?” Chosangalatsa n’chakuti mwininyumba analandira mabukuwo ndipo anadzakhala mlongo.

M’bale wina ankadzifunsa kuti, ‘Kodi ndizigwirabe ntchito yanga yapamwamba n’kumapereka ndalama zokwana madola 1,000 (a ku United States) chaka chilichonse kapena ndiyambe ukopotala?’ M’baleyo anauzidwa kuti Ambuye akhoza kusangalala ndi zonsezi koma angamudalitse kwambiri ngati atagwiritsa ntchito nthawi yake potumikira Ambuyewo. Mlongo wina dzina lake Mary Hinds ankaona kuti ukopotala ndi “njira yabwino koposa yochitira zabwino anthu ambiri.” Mlongo Alberta Crosby anali wamantha koma ananena kuti, “Tsiku lililonse ndikumakonderakonderabe ukopotala.”

Masiku ano, ana kapena zidzukulu za akopotala akhamawa ndiponso Akhristu ena omwe tingati ndi ana awo auzimu, akutengera chitsanzo chawo pochita upainiya. Ngati mulibe kholo limene linali kopotala kapena mpainiya mungachite bwino kukhala woyamba m’banja mwanu. Inunso mudzayamba kukonderakonderabe ntchito yolalikira.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Mawu Otsindika patsamba 32]

Sikuti ankafunika kukhala “ophunzira kwambiri, aluso logometsa kapena olankhula ngati angelo”

[Chithunzi patsamba 31]

A. W. Osei ali kopotala ku Ghana cha m’ma 1930

[Zithunzi patsamba 32]

Pamwamba: Edith Keen ndi Gertrude Morris ali ku England cha m’ma 1918. Onsewa anali akopotala; m’munsi: Stanley Cossaboom ndi Henry Nonkes ali ku United States. M’makatoniwo munali mabuku amene anagawira