WATHI uqala unyaka ka-1916, yabe iMfazwe Enkulu, kamva eyabizwa ngokuba yiMfazwe Yehlabathi I, sele kungaphezu konyaka isiliwa. Macala omabini kwakusifa abantu abaninzi.

IMboniselo yesiNgesi kaJanuwari 1, 1916, yathi: “Loo mfazwe inkulu yaseYurophu yabangela ukuba abantu bathande inkonzo yaye baxhalabele ikamva labo.” Yaqhubeka isithi: “Masilibambe siliqinise ilungelo nethuba esinalo, singagevezeli amadolo, kodwa masikhuthale enkonzweni kaThixo nakuMyalezo asithume wona.”

Umxholo wonyaka ka-1916 wakhuthaza abazalwana ukuba bahlale “beqinile elukholweni,” ngokutsho kwabaseRoma 4:20 kwiKing James Version. ABafundi BeBhayibhile abaninzi benza kanye loo nto, ibe uYehova wabasikelela.

Abameli beWatch Tower Society abaziwa ngokuba ngabahambi ngezonqulo baya kuzo zonke iidolophu, bekhuthaza yaye befundisa aBafundi BeBhayibhile. Ngo-1916, abahambi ngezonqulo  abamalunga ne-69 bahamba iikhilomitha ezisisigidi besenza lo msebenzi.

Kwindibano eyayiseNorfolk, eVirginia, omnye umhambi ngezonqulo, uWalter Thorn, wathelekisa imfazwe yamaKristu neMfazwe Enkulu esithi: “Kuqikelelwa ukuba le mfazwe iliwa ngamadoda azizigidi ezingamashumi amabini ukuya kwezingamashumi amathathu. . . . Kodwa ihlabathi alazi ukuba kukho nomnye umkhosi wamajoni. Ngamajoni eNkosi, yaye njengomkhosi kaGidiyon, nawo ayalwa, kodwa akalwi ngezixhobo zokwenyani. Alwela inyaniso nobulungisa kwaye alwa umlo omhle wokholo.”

KwiDabi lokuQala laseSomme elalisiliwa eFransi ngasekupheleni kuka-1916, kwenzakala okanye kwafa amadoda angaphezu kwesigidi. Kwezinye iindawo zaseFransi, abazalwana ababesebenza nzima babesiya kwiiklasi okanye emabandleni nakubeni kwakungelula ngenxa yaloo mfazwe. IMboniselo  yesiNgesi kaJanuwari 15, 1916, yayineleta eyabhalwa nguJoseph Lefèvre, uMfundi weBhayibhile owanyanzeleka ukuba emke kwidolophu yakowabo iDenain, eFransi, xa yayihlaselwa ngumkhosi waseJamani ngo-1914. Waya kumazantsi eParis, apho wafika wanxulumana neklasi yaBafundi BeBhayibhile eyayikuphela kwayo kuloo dolophu. Nakubeni impilo yakhe yayinkenenkene, kungekudala efikile kuloo klasi waqhuba zonke iintlanganiso.

Kamva, kwafika uThéophile Lequime, naye owayebaleke eDenain. Ekuqaleni, uMzalwan’ uLequime waya eAuchel, eFransi, apho waguqulela amanqaku eMboniselo yesiNgesi waza wawathumela kubazalwana ababehlala kwiindawo zaseFransi ezazingekho phantsi kwamajoni aseJamani. Amagunya asemkhosini awayethandabuza izinto azenzayo amnyanzela ukuba emke eAuchel. KuMzalwan’ uLefèvre ukufika kukaMzalwan’ uLequime eParis kwaba yimpendulo yemithandazo yakhe.

Umsebenzi abawenza eParis wavuzwa. UMzalwan’ uLefèvre wathi: “Ngoku eklasini kubakho abantu abamalunga namashumi amane anesihlanu . . . Uninzi lwabo lubhaptiziwe yaye lwenza inkqubela enkulu ngokomoya. Phantse bonke bayaya kwintlanganiso yobungqina (intlanganiso ekubaliselwana amava kuyo).”

Njengoko imfazwe yayiqhubeka, iBritani yakhupha umthetho owawuza kuvavanya ukungathathi cala kwabazalwana bethu. Loo Mthetho Wenkonzo Yasemkhosini wawusithi onke amadoda aneminyaka eyi-18 ukuya kweyi-40 ayefanele abhalisele ukungena emkhosini. Sekunjalo, aBafundi BeBhayibhile abaninzi bahlala bengathathi cala.

Ngokomzekelo, IMboniselo yesiNgesi ka-Aprili 15, 1916, yayineleta eyabhalwa nguW. O. Warden waseSkotlani. Wathi: “Ngoku omnye woonyana bam uneminyaka eyi-19. Sele enikele ubungqina obuhle ngeNkosi ngokungavumi ukubhalisela umkhosi, yaye ukuba uza kudutyulwa ngenxa yoko, ndiyathemba ukuba  uYehova uza kumnceda ukuze angagungqi ekumeleni imigaqo yenyaniso neyobulungisa.”

UJames Frederick Scott, uvulindlela oselula wase-Edinburgh, eSkotlani, wasiw’ ematyaleni ngenxa yokuba engazange abhalisele ukungena emkhosini. Emva kokuba inkundla ive bonke ubungqina, yafumanisa ukuba uMzalwan’ uScott akanatyala “ngenxa yenxalenye ekuloo Mthetho evumela ukuba abathile bangabhaliseli ukungena emkhosini.”

Noko ke, abazalwana abaninzi abazange bakhululwe yiloo nxalenye yomthetho. NgoSeptemba, kubazalwana abayi-264 ababecela ukukhululwa yiloo nxalenye yomthetho, abayi-23 kwathiwa mabenze imisebenzi engenanto yakwenza nokulwa. Abanye “abohlwaywa ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo” kwafuneka benze “umsebenzi Owawubalulekile Welizwe, njengokwenza iindlela, ukomba amatye, njalo njalo,” yatsho njalo IMboniselo yesiNgesi kaOktobha 15, 1916. Bahlanu kuphela abazalwana abavunyelwayo ukuba bangangeni emkhosini.

Ngo-Oktobha 16, 1916, uCharles Taze Russell, owayekhokela aBafundi BeBhayibhile ngelo xesha, waba kuhambo lokuya kunikela intetho kwintshona yeMerika. Akazange abuyele ekhaya. Emva kwemini ngoLwesibini, ngo-Oktobha 31, uMzalwan’ uRussell wafa eneminyaka eyi-64 ngoxa wayekhwele uloliwe ePampa, eTexas.

Abazalwana abaninzi babengaboni mntu wayenokuthatha indawo kaMzalwan’ uRussell. IMboniselo yesiNgesi kaDisemba 1, 1916, yachaza umnqweno awayenawo ngomsebenzi awayesele enexesha ekhokela kuwo. Umbuzo owawusafuna ukuphendulwa ngulo: Kwakuza kungena bani endaweni yakhe?

Loo mbuzo wawuza kuphendulwa kwintlanganiso yonyaka yeWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, eyayiza kuba sekuqaleni kuka-1917. Ababekho kuloo ntlanganiso bavota, yaye bamanyana kwisigqibo esinye. Kodwa iinyanga ezilandelayo zabonisa ukuba olo manyano yayilelokwexeshana, abazalwana babelindelwe zizilingo ezinzima.