The WTBTS loves to boast that their publications are free of charge from the time of their inception.
Not quite so - it came with reservations and strings attached, just like today.
The Original (1879): ... never beg nor petition (...) for support
by bats in the belfry 3 Replies latest watchtower bible
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bats in the belfry
Who Are Doing Jehovah's Will Today, page 24
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WTWizard
If a product is worth having, people are going to pay for it even if they can get it free. They are going to realize that it costs something to put things up, and they are going to pay to keep it online and help reward those doing deep research with money. This is one reason I was willing to pay for material found on Joy of Satan, despite being able to find the exact same things online and download and print (or burn) copies free. That helps them stay afloat, shows appreciation for their hard work in digging up once-lost material, and helps them finance additional research that could put even better material in the future. (It also helps me if and when ACTA and CISPA make the free versions unavailable.)
Now, if the Washtowel littera-trash had similar value, people would be willing to contribute without being hounded. If the material has zero or negative value, people are not going to find it worth their time paying or donating for it. They will not miss it if it is gone, and they will not appreciate zero or negative value. Hence, they need to keep hounding and threatening, even instituting something similar to tithing with threats of Gehenna, if they are to stay afloat. As for ACTA and CISPA, losing Washtowel littera-trash is not a good reason to buy hard copies--and no, I don't value more of the same rubbish.
