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But he is never brilliant; he has outwearied many a deeper man by his indefatigable evenness and persistance; he is Giant Despair to the brilliant young men. Mr. Morphy is just the otherest from Staunton.
And if Paul Morphy had gone to Calcutta, instead of London and Paris, he would have found there one Mohesh Ghutuck, who, without discovering that he was a P. and move behind his best play, and without becoming too sick to proceed with the match, would have given him a much finer game than any antagonist he has yet encountered.
Staunton's ignoble evasion of the match with Morphy after bringing him, by his letter, all the way from New Orleans to London, a voyage which would scarcely have been taken otherwise may have stained his reputation as a courageous and honorable chess-player, we cannot be blind to the fact, that he is the strongest master of the game in Europe.
Some of the wonderful games of chess performed by Paul Morphy are dependent in part upon a similar power of memory, by which the player is enabled to keep present in his mind, without seeing the board, a long series of complicated evolutions, past as well as prospective and possible. The same is true of every great military strategist.
Morphy, in the speeches which he has been compelled to make since his return from Europe, has spoken lightly of chess, as a mere amusement. It became him to do so; and yet chess would seem to have its value as a discipline upon natures amenable to discipline. We that is, the present writer, not all the contributors to the "Atlantic" sat by the side of Mr. Morphy when he won from Mr.
Morphy; that would only have shown, that, well as Stanton played, Morphy played better, as to which the world is as well satisfied now as then it would have been. And as to his reputation as a man, what need to say a word about it? This chess-flurry has been fraught with good lessons by example.
The Exploits and Triumphs in Europe of Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion; including an Historical Account of Clubs, Biographical Sketches of Famous Players, and Various Information and Anecdote relating to the Noble Game of Chess. By Paul Morphy's late Secretary. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 12mo. pp. 203.
Martinville the Little Paris, the oasis in the desert. There seemed first to have been built a rez-de-chaussée house of ordinary size, to which had been hastily added here a room, there a cabinet, a balcony, until the "White Pelican" I seem to see it now was like a house of cards, likely to tumble before the first breath of wind. The host's name was Morphy.
They make their successful generals Presidents; they give dinners to Morphy and banquets to Cyrus Field. They are thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the age. Therefore they are artistic. How amazed some will be at the proposition, amazed that the age should be called an artistic one, amazed that Americans should be considered an artistic nation!
There are said to have been persons who could attend to half a dozen different conversations going on together, and take a rational part in them all, and indulge, all the time, in a distinct consecutive train of thought beside. I dare say, Mr. Morphy, the chess-player, would find no difficulty in it.
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