Louis Blair wrote:

snip

On the other hand, Morphy had reportedly
already read Staunton's 1851 tournament
book that declared:

"... if we regard [chess] as an
idle or a gambling pursuit, we
degrade it. Chess never was, and
while society exists, never can
be a profession."

With all due respect Louis, such a statement by the aforementioned
Staunton is tantamont to boring fartdom & besides is illogical. Given
that Staunton pompously declaimed himself this, that & the next thing &
had no compunction about intimidating 'them' he considered by birth, his
inferiors, it is unsurprising this blowhard failed to consumate his
hot-air, with regard to playing out a match with the brilliant Morph..