About the Author

James S. Gale (1863 - 1937) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, educator and Bible translator in Korea. Gale was talented in so many ways, his influence was great, although he was often frustrated by the rivalries, jealousies and personality clashes that too often characterized the missionary community in Korea. His linguistic skills were essential in the work of Bible translation, while his literary and poetic sensitivity gave his writing an added charm. He was unable to publish a considerable portion of what he wrote or translated and much remains to be published in his papers in the University of Toronto. Elspet Keith, a writer and oriental scholar, was married to John William Robertson Scott who was best known for his writings on rural affairs and a Companion of Honour. The seventeenth-century author, Kim Man-Choong, mourned all his life that he should have been born after his father had died. So remarkable was his filial piety that his fame as a son spread far and wide.