▁and ▁introduced ▁himself ▁to ▁a ▁wide ▁range ▁of ▁music ▁through ▁reading ▁scores . ▁The ▁young ▁Roberts ▁was ▁intended ▁to ▁purs ue ▁a ▁career ▁in ▁the ▁Indian ▁Civil ▁Service , ▁but ▁his ▁health ▁broke ▁down , ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁med ically ▁ad vised ▁not ▁to ▁cont em plate ▁residence ▁in ▁India . ▁He ▁became ▁a ▁cl erk ▁in ▁the ▁Bank ▁of ▁Liverpool ▁from ▁ 1 8 8 9 ▁to ▁ 1 9 0 3 . ▁In ▁his ▁spare ▁time ▁he ▁acquired ▁complete ▁or ▁partial ▁compet ence ▁in ▁nine ▁foreign ▁languages , ▁wrote ▁for ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁journ als ▁on ▁music , ▁literature , ▁religion ▁and ▁philosoph ical ▁subjects , ▁and ▁published ▁his ▁first ▁two ▁books , ▁Gl uck ▁and ▁the ▁Opera , ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 5 ▁and ▁A ▁Study ▁of ▁Wagner , ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 9 . ▁ ▁New man ▁had ▁been ▁brought ▁up ▁as ▁an ▁Ang lic an , ▁but ▁as ▁an ▁adult ▁he ▁rejected ▁the ▁church . ▁ ▁He ▁joined ▁the ▁National ▁Sec ular ▁Society ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 4 , ▁through ▁which ▁he ▁met ▁J . ▁M . ▁Robert son , ▁who ▁became ▁a ▁lif el ong ▁friend , ▁influen cing ▁his ▁approach ▁to ▁criticism . ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 7 , ▁New man ▁wrote ▁Pse udo - Ph il osoph y ▁at ▁the ▁End ▁of ▁the ▁Nin ete enth ▁Century , ▁a ▁critique ▁of ▁im prec ise ▁and ▁subject ive ▁writing . ▁ ▁This ▁displayed , ▁in ▁the ▁words ▁of ▁the ▁Oxford ▁Dictionary ▁of