Louis Blair wrote in message
t.com...

Again, I see nothing remarkable here. Morphy had grown
up with the attitude (common in his day) that disapproved
of earning money by such things as playing chess. Morphy
had a history of avoiding the appearance of earning
money in this way, arranging to give away the money that
he won ...

Did Morphy grow up with the attitude, or did he acquire it?

I have wondered whether this aversion to chess in a professional capacity
could have originated from Staunton. Staunton spent time talking to Morphy
in 1858 - I think he entertained Morphy at his home in Streatham - and I can
imagine Staunton projecting himself as a gentleman scholar and disapproving
of the amount of time Morphy seemed to find for chess, to the detriment of
any more serious pursuits such as Staunton was engaged in. (Staunton, of
course, was "poacher turned gamekeeper"!)

Staunton claimed at one stage that the stake money had been a barrier to
their match taking place - a position from which he was forced to retreat -
so I suppose Louis Blair is probably right that Morphy's attitude was one
which he had grown up with. All the same, it seems at least possible that
Staunton reinforced it for him.

Incidentally, I don't believe for one moment that Morphy's mental illness
was the result of blindfold chess. It seems to me more likely the result of
psychological problems, but we really need a psychiatrist at this point.

Best wishes,

John Townsend
Howard Staunton research project:
http://www.johntownsend.demon.co.uk/page7.html