The phrase implies that there is something reported indicating Morphy’s involvement was other that a failure.

<I have not said that Morphy was successful in his practice>

<I have only indicated that, if Morphy did indeed practice his profession at all, there could have been a time when Morphy thought he had reasonable prospects. The party described by Reid only indicates a time when someone was doubtful about Morphy. There is room for both in a nearly two decade span of time.>

Two decades – from the final return from Paris till Morphy died, of which he only spent two years practicing law – In 1875, his imbalance had increased to the point he attacked his barber – leaving about 2 years of being ?gainfully? employed?

<Morphy wants to get married. He is perpetually having 'love affairs.' All the people in New Orleans know it and humor him a little.>

<I do not think too much should be read into the words, "love affair". The comments of Steinitz illustrate that the phrase is used to cover a wide variety of situations.>

I don’t believe Steinitz’s remark regarding what he had heard blankets a wide variety of situations – it is characterizing a ‘perpetual’ inflection in Morphy’s mind that appeared to be well known and humored by all as harmless musings on Morphy’s part.

<I do not think it would be fair to blame Regina very much>

I place no blame – I am just pointing out that perhaps she was not really aware of that much about her uncle. One might come to the conclusion that since she read ‘Buck’ she read about the ‘mere chess player’ and did not refute it (so it must have some basis) – wrong she could not refute any of the Buck’s errors.

So we are left with a rejection as a husband without a proposal or courtship, or a proposal without a courtship or a courtship with a mere chess player that one would never marry because he was a mere chess player, a “well-authenticated record” without any known authentication, “seeing no useful purpose by making factual use of this episode” but let me state it is FACT, “a family” = “A horse with no name”, all occurring at some point in Morphy’s years where his self perception was drastically different than what it is normally characterized and with financial prospects abounding from his work as a lawyer.

What is required to further this anecdote from anything other than myth is factual evidence of the time, a love letter, a card, a slip from the florist, autographed panties – until such evidence is forthcoming it is not known to be true. Many things that are false may not be proven false.

<Somebody seems to have accused me of "distinguishing between the obvious">

I think you did. Somebody just reiterate it.
<If one finds, in my recent notes, any insight into my methods and criteria, it is with regard to distinguishing between what is known and what is not known.> and since what has been presented here as known and unknown has been obvious to most, if not all, of the participants, it's value is somewhat negligible.

and <and indulging in "continued exercises in postulating" in comments that are lacking in value.> I think somebody said the lack of value was in continuing the postulating since, as you said, your "position is that we do not know."

Unless there is some new light on what we don't know, the result is mere fiction.

<ckr>
<Regina's phamplet is so void of anything pertinent about Morphy it makes me wonder whether she really knew much about him at all or if she just kept to the common ground without mentioning anything much about his later years (which was when she was less than 14).>

Regina was 14 1/2 when Paul Morphy died. I'm not sure where Edward and Alice were living at the time, but from the census reports I'm fairly sure it wasn't in the Morphy house, though it was undoubtably in New Orleans and probably in le Vieux Carré. Her personal remembrances were probably pretty slim - impressions more than anything. I believe she had some contact with Max Lange. Her granddaughter told me Regina was interested in family history and it seems some family information was available to her. She was a musician like her grandmother, but she was also a journalist who founded a periodical on Creole life. So, she was also likely well-connected. I think her value, however, isn't in facts, though she does supply some worthwhile ones, but rather in adding to our overall mosaic, or even gestalt, of Morphy.

Looking at a historical figure is a bit like looking at a painting by Monet. Facts are these little imperfect daubs of paint that individually do little even side by side with other little daubs. One must often step back to get a wider view. While the picture is still a blur, we can at least see forms and shapes and the lack in clarity is compensated by a certain beauty of which the unknown is an intrinsic part.

I wrote that the phrase, "love affair", is used to cover a wide variety of situations. The words of Steinitz illustrate "love affair" being used to refer to something quite different from "a courtship of some length-theaters, concerts, opera, church services etc." Consequently, I think "love affair" could have been used (not necessarily by Steinitz) to refer to something like the possibility that I mentioned: a man's thoughts turning to marriage without much in the way of a courtship, and a woman making known her own feelings about the possibility at some point after becoming aware of this interest.

Whether Regina was really aware of that much or not that much about her uncle, it seems to me that the real question is whether or not there is reason to doubt what she WAS aware of. I see no reason to believe that Regina was wrong about her description of Morphy's behavior at the opera. Such behavior could well have been the subject of discussion that Regina heard - discussion not too different from what came to the attention of Steinitz later. I agree that it would be wrong to argue that the "mere chess player" story has some basis because Regina did not refute it. I, of course, never made such an arguement.

I see no reason to rule out the possibility that the "well-authenticated record", mentioned by Keyes, was part of family papers not available to the public. I see nothing wrong with her decision to respect the privacy of a family that was unknown to history. It strikes me as completely natural for her to want to clarify for her readers what degree of truth there was behind her Charmian Shepard character. She undoubtedly understood that readers of historical fiction are likely to wonder about that sort of thing.

I do not think we have sufficient evidence to come to a conclusion about Morphy's self perception during the whole of the last twenty years of his life. The Regina opera report suggests a self perception capable of entertaining thoughts of romance. Judging from Steinitz, even in 1883, there were times when Morphy had hopes, writing down addresses and so on.

I did not write "financial prospects abounding". I wrote that if Morphy did indeed practice his profession at all, there could have been a time when Morphy thought he had reasonable prospects.

I agree that the "mere chess player" story is not known to be true, and I believe that I have indicated that more than once. This is not the same as asserting that it is a myth - a word, I think, that is usually taken as referring to something false or imaginary. I do not think we are in a position to assert that the story is false or imaginary.

Considering alternative possibilities is a way to realize that a statement belongs in the "unkown" category. My opinion is that there is value in realizing that something belongs in the "unkwown" category, and hence value in considering the alternative possibilities that result in such a categorization.

Perhaps my posts are not too clear.

To the following:
<I know of nothing that would enable us to conclude that Morphy was regarded as an inevitable failure during all of that time. His reported involvements with E. T. Fellowes and Seligman, Hellman & Co. seem to suggest otherwise.>

I should have asked:

What involvements were reported of Morphy's participation with these law firms that suggest Morphy's practice was something more than a failure?

===
Not having read Keyes, I think it would be intresting to read how she used this episode in her book. A few paragraphs would be appreciated.

Also, <SBC> comments on FPK “no Creoles” in 1960 lead me to discover more about the period. Fascinating stuff, duels, belles, massive epidemics, the commercial rivalry between Faubourg Ste. Marie and le vieux carré, the city goverened by three establishments taking the monatary control from the Creoles, bye-bye Creole culture, all most interesting.

Unfortunately all this enlightment I have been providing to these pages(given freely without expectation of monatary renumerfication) has robbed me of time spent on more important matters, my tiddley-wink’s game has suffered terrible! I can't even get the close ones in the cup!

This photograph is very well known:
http://strony.aster.pl/morphy/Morph...

It shows Lowenthal with the White pieces, and Morphy with the Black. Which game is this? We've gone through all of our games trying to match up the position on the board but came up empty handed.

<Also, <SBC> comments on FPK “no Creoles” in 1960 lead me to discover more about the period.>

Does this make me your muse?

<His reported involvements> Something about his involvment was reported

<with E. T. Fellowes and Seligman, Hellman & Co.> in relation to these firms

<seem to suggest otherwise."> that suggests something other than my stating his 'practice was a failure'

It almost looks like a position from game 5 if the b pawns are doubled on b2 and b3, but I can't find an exact match from the score.

So does this mean the whole thing was a posed setup including ' the game' and the lady is Mrs Loewenthal? don't know was he married even

What do you make of it <chessgames.com>?

A quest for "anything about ..." is not something into which I am going to put work. That covers too much ground. I do not know what Keyes felt she had accomplished ficticiously and I can not think of any paragraph to quote that would reveal this.

Morphy awoke on the morning of 24th April 1862 with a throbbing head. http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/B...

He was alone http://www.victorianweb.org/paintin... in somebody's garret with a hangover that sounded like thudding, the floor strewn with empty absinthe and wine bottles, amongst remains of half-eaten sandwiches, introduced in 1840. http://en.easyart.com/art-prints/pr...

Having to put up with being an international celebrity and coming from a 'gilded-youth' background was hard enough, but even worse for him was the continual merri-go-round of parties and numerous toasts he had to endure,http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/B...

not to mention the attentions of all the local beauties and society belles. http://fineoldart.com/view_image.ht...

His lagging step as he made his way along Carondelet Street may have been brought on by the previous night's party, and he was simply trying to make his way home intent on soothing bath and nursing the splitting hangover for the rest of the day. http://www.victorianweb.org/paintin...

Possibly having to attend a another banquet in his honour later that evening. The social commitments would have added up and taken their toll. http://www.inter-art.com/en/4301.htm

Also his mother may have been waiting, to regretfully critcise him again for frittering his time away with wine, women and song as the city was falling around their ears, so although he was in a hurry home he at the same time would have been trying to go slowly, dragging his steps, fearing the worst.

Maybe he shouldve got his own bachelor pad somewhere, http://www.dauphineorleans.com/gues... or if in Europe http://www.german-way.com/neuschw.h... as he was a bit of a rascal and ladie's man, as seen in the picture 'throwing a game' against Mrs Loewenthal or her daughter if she had one, or one of the other such lovely ladies constantly competing for his attentions. http://batgirl.atspace.com/1Morphy_...

[if you intend to read the Chess Players, this may posting may be a spoiler]

1 ♗
2 ♙'s
1 ♖?
1 ♘ ? (blotchy one in the middle)

white on the board:
2 ♙ chained on the QS (a2,b3?)
1 ♙ on 4th (e maybe d)
1 ♖ first rank (on e,f)
I make out a cross on a tall piece on the second rank I assume is the ♔

The black pieces (one of which Lowenthall appears to be lifting) are too obscure to make out.

Giving that I felt the ♔ was off the back rank, I looked for that and evaluated the positions. I found none that seemed close.

I only looked at the L vs M match games.

Asking me to document something that I wrote is fine. I will not be complying with requests for me to document claims that I did not write.

<ckr>
<I'm sure reading it will will get added on my to-do list.>

You really won't have missed anything by skipping it. But it's readable. It's been a while since I've read it and it's pretty forgettable (which isn't necessarily a bad thing here)

<So within the novel there is no mention of CS jilting Morphy as a mere chess player?>

It's more complicated than that. Paul met Charmian as a child and became infatuated with her. She moved to N.O. from Boston (I think) when her father's business took him South. Her family isn't accepted into the N.O.'s high society and this forever mars her personality. Charmian, who does like Paul, is the sort of shallow and dispicable character who craves things and social stature more than anything. Charmian has a sister who is very beautiful (and normal) but not in Charmian's league. Her sister falls in love with Paul and would do anything for him. Paul, who is either totally stupid or despicable in his own right (he comes off as both at times, but usually just namby-pamby), uses her as a means to keep in touch with Charmian. Chamian's family moves away and she and Paul meet again at various times and places, as fate allows.

Anyway, Charmian leads Paul on all through his life so Paul thinks she's in love with him and waiting for him to establish himself. Of course, she would never marry him, a mere chess player (actually she's thinking he's not rich enough and not royalty and besides, his family was one of those that kept her family out the the N.O's high society, so there was a revenge thing going on too). She marries some guy with a title and some money instead. When Paul meets her in Paris (Paris is nice, but it's not New Orleans) after she's married, they start seeing each other and Charmian fianally tells him that her husband beats her and that she had led Paul on all these years and goes into a long self-analytical catharsis resulting in a new, improved Charmian who wants nothing else but to marry Paul. Unfortunately, her husband kills her first; Paul finds her bloody body and his mind snaps.

So, she does say she won't marry a mere chess player, but that's not the direct cause of Paul's mental debilitation.

We take it at face value that Morphy's eccentricities were part of his temperament, but they can also be explained if he had reactions to a physical ailment which flared up during travel and after too much mental exertion.

Arguing for an undisclosed illness would be

1) Morphy's avoidance of exercise, even at school, as recorded by Maurian.

2) His moving fast at the board and being in distress when Paulsen and others took inordinate time moving.

3) His recurrent illness when travelling, and the severity of the illnesses.

Edge reported he had to carry Morphy in one instance during the match with Anderssen.

Back in the US, Morphy declined invitations, and was seen that day by the Union soldier having a "lagging" step.

4) Morphy's famed laziness could be caused by an illness, where he could not be sure whether his energy would hold out to accomplish any project, and he would be hesitant to make any promises, or answer any written requests.

5) Filling his days with walks and baths and even drinking at the parties could be his way of medicating himself against an energy sapping condition.

6) His giving up on law with practically no fight or explanation.

7) His avoidance of chess competitions, where he would be required to put in consecutive days of work. Paris 1867 was just down the road from him, and it baffled everyone that he did not visit or play.