NJENGOKO inqanawa yayingena kwiBelfast Lough, abo bantu babekhwele kuyo babona ilanga elalisandul’ ukuphuma lithe qhakra kwezo nduli ziluhlaza. KwakungoMeyi, 1910. Omnye wabo, uCharles T. Russell, wayesiya okwesihlanu eIreland. Phambi koMzalwan’ uRussell kwakukho iinqanawa ezinkulu ezazisakhiwa, iTitanic eyazikayo kunye neOlympic. * Ngaphaya kwendawo emisa iinqanawa kwakukho aBafundi BeBhayibhile ababemlindile.

Kwiminyaka eyi-20 ngaphambili, uMzalwan’ uRussell wayegqibe ekubeni angashumayeli eMerika kuphela, kodwa ahambele namanye amazwe. Waqala eIreland ngoJulayi, 1891. Njengoko inqanawa awayeyikhwele, iCity of Chicago, yayisondela kunxweme lwaseQueenstown, ebukele ilanga litshona, mhlawumbi kwakubuya iinkumbulo zabazali bakhe xa babembalisela ngeendawo ababesuka kuzo. Xa uMzalwan’ uRussell nabantu awayehamba nabo babedlula kwezo dolophu zicocekileyo nakumathafa amahle, baqonda ukuba amasimi “sele elungile ukuba kuvunwe.”

Ekugqibeleni, uMzalwan’ uRussell waya kasixhenxe eIreland. Kuyabonakala ukuba xa wayeye okokuqala abantu baba nomdla, kangangokuba wathi ephinda ebuyela baba baninzi abeza kummamela. Wathi ebuya, ngoMeyi 1903, zabe iintlanganiso zesidlangalala eBelfast naseDublin zikhutshwa kumaphephandaba. URussell ubalisa ukuba “abantu babenikele ingqalelo enkulu” kumxholo othi “Idinga Elalibotshwe Ngesifungo” owawuthetha ngokholo luka-Abraham nangeentsikelelo eziza kufunyanwa ngabantu kwixesha elizayo.

Ngenxa yokuba bebaninzi abantu ababenomdla eIreland, uRussell waphinda waya khona xa wayehambele amazwe aseYurophu okwesithathu. Wahlangatyezwa ngabazalwana abahlanu kwizibuko laseBelfast ngentsasa ka-Aprili, 1908. Ngengokuhlwa yolo suku kweza “abantu abamalunga ne-300” kwintetho yesidlangalala eyayinomxholo othi “Ukubhukuqwa Kolawulo LukaSathana.” Ukhona umntu owaphikisayo, kodwa waphendulwa ngokukhawuleza ngobuchule kusetyenziswa iZibhalo. Kwakukho umfo owayechasa kakhulu eDublin owayengunobhala wombutho wecawa, uMnu. O’Connor, owazama ukwenza abantu abangaphezu kwe-1 000 bajikele aBafundi BeBhayibhile. Kwenzeka ntoni ke?

Makhe sikuzobele umfanekiso-ngqondweni wento eyenzeka ngaloo mini. Indoda enomdla wokufunda iBhayibhile iya kwintetho yesidlangalala ebikhutshwe kwiphephandaba iThe Irish Times. Iholo izele imi ngeembambo, ayifumani nendawo yokuhlala. Ijonge ntsho kwisithethi esinentshebe neenwele ezimhlophe, sinxibe idyasi emnyama. Njengoko isithethi sinikela le ntetho,  sihambahamba eqongeni, siman’ ukucacisa izibhalo kwaye sivula ingqondo yale ndoda ukuze ive iimfundiso zeBhayibhile. Akukho nesandisi-lizwi, kodwa uRussell uvakala kuyo yonke loo holo, kwaye uthetha iyure enesiqingatha wonk’ umntu emmamele. Emva koko, xa ilixesha lemibuzo, umfo kaO’Connor nabantu bakhe bayamphikisa, kodwa ubaphendula kakuhle ngeBhayibhile. Abaphulaphuli baqhwabela uRussell izandla. Emva kwayo yonke le nto, le ndoda enomdla iya kubazalwana ifune ukufundiswa ezinye izinto. Abantu ababekho ngelo xesha bathi baninzi abafumana inyaniso ngale ndlela.

NgoMeyi 1909, uMzalwan’ uRussell wakhwela inqanawa iMauretania eNew York, esiya eIreland okwesine, ehamba noMzalwan’ uHuntsinger owayeza kumtayipela amanqaku eMboniselo. EBelfast, abantu ababeze kwintetho yesidlangalala kaMzalwan’ uRussell babeyi-450, ibe abayi-100 kubo babengenazitulo zokuhlala.

Njengoko besitshilo ekuqaleni, uRussell wabuyela kweli lizwe okwesihlanu, ibe kwenzeka okufanayo. Laa mfo wayekade echasa, uO’Connor, weza nomfundisi owaziwayo kwesi sihlandlo eDublin, ibe emva kwentetho yesidlangalala wabuza uRussell ngeBhayibhile, kodwa yaphendulwa imibuzo yakhe, ibe bayithanda kakhulu loo nto abaphulaphuli. Ngosuku olulandelayo, bakhwela iphenyane besiya eLiverpool baza babamba inqanawa yodumo iLusitania eyayisiya eNew York. *

UMzalwan’ uRussell wanikela iintetho zesidlangalala naxa wabuyela okwesithandathu nokwesixhenxe, ngo-1911. Ngentwasahlobo, aBafundi BeBhayibhile abayi-20 baseBelfast bamema abantu abayi-2 000 kwintetho ethi “Ubomi Basemva Kokufa.” UO’Connor waphinda wathi gqi eDublin, ehamba nomnye umfundisi, beze kubuza imibuzo, kodwa abaphulaphuli baqhwabela uRussell xa wayemphendula ngeZibhalo. Ngokwindla lwalo nyaka, kwayiwa nakwezinye iidolophu, ibe baninzi abantu abezayo. UO’Connor wafika neendlavini zamadoda ayi-100 baza bazama ukuphazamisa intlanganiso eyayiseDublin kwakhona, kodwa abaphulaphuli baba ngakwicala lesithethi.

YayinguMzalwan’ uRussell owayenikela ezi ntetho zesidlangalala ngelo xesha, kodwa ke wayibona into yokuba “lo msebenzi awuxhomekekanga mntwini,” kuba “awungomsebenzi wamntu; ngumsebenzi kaThixo.” Ezo ntetho, ezathi kamva zathathelw’ indawo yiNtlanganiso Yesidlangalala, zaveza amathuba amaninzi okucacisa iimfundiso zeBhayibhile. Waba yintoni umphumo? Zancedisa ekusasazeni iindaba ezilungileyo, kwatsho kwavela amabandla kwizixeko ezininzi kuyo yonke i-Ireland.—Siphakula koovimba bethu eBritani.