Learn To Succeed The Case For A Skills Revolution Mike Campbell
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- 5. LEARN TO SUCCEED Mike Campbell The case for a skills revolution
- 7. For Janie, Rosa and Christina “Wealth is the means and people are the ends. All our material riches will avail us little if we do not use them to expand the opportunities of our people.” (J.F. Kennedy)
- 8. P P P R E S S The•POLICY LEARNTO SUCCEED The case for a skills revolution Mike Campbell
- 9. First published in Great Britain in May 2002 by The Policy Press 34 Tyndall’s Park Road Bristol BS8 1PY UK Tel +44 (0)117 954 6800 Fax +44 (0)117 973 7308 e-mail tpp@bristol.ac.uk www.policypress.org.uk ©The Policy Press 2002 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 186134 269 0 Mike Campbell is Director of Policy and Research at the Sector Skills Development Agency. Cover design by Qube Design Associates, Bristol. Front cover: photograph kindly supplied by www.johnbirdsall.co.uk The right of Mike Campbell to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of The Policy Press. The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the editor and contributors and not of The University of Bristol or The Policy Press. The University of Bristol andThe Policy Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any material published in this publication. The Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender,race,disability, age and sexuality. Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow
- 10. v Contents List of tables and figures vii Preface and acknowledgements ix one Introduction: skills for all 1 The economic challenge 1 The social challenge 3 A framework for skills assessment 3 two What skills have we got? 7 Workforce qualifications 7 Inequalities in workforce qualifications 9 Participation in learning 12 Barriers to achievement 16 Regional and local differences in qualifications and participation 18 Training 20 The skills of the unemployed and economically inactive 22 Skill shortages 25 Skill gaps 29 International comparisons 33 Conclusions 41 three What skills do we need? 43 Introduction 43 The drivers of change 43 Overall trends in employment 46 Occupational change 49 Replacement demand 54 The qualifications of the employed workforce 56 The skill intensity of jobs growth 56 Over-qualification and over-education? 59 Trends in skill requirements 61 Conclusions 65 four The value of skills 67 Introduction 67 Individuals 67 Companies 73 The economy 76 Conclusions 79 v
- 11. vi Learn to succeed five An agenda for action 81 Introduction 81 Priorities for action 82 Tackling barriers 89 Joining up the policy agenda 94 Conclusions 96 References 97 Index 105
- 12. vii List of tables and figures List of tables and figures Tables 1.1 NVQ levels and equivalent qualifications 5 2.1 Qualifications of the workforce: highest NVQ equivalent 9 qualification, England (2001) 2.2 Percentage of adults with poor literacy and numeracy skills, UK 11 2.3 Participation in education and training among different groups 15 in the population 2.4 Perceived barriers to participation in job or career-related continuing 17 education and training among employed adults (1994-95) 2.5 Participation in learning by Government Office Region 20 2.6 Percentage of employees receiving training 21 2.7 Provision of training by establishment size (2000, %) 22 2.8 Overall number of vacancies, hard-to-fill vacancies and skill 27 shortages (2001) 2.9 Skills sought in connection with skill shortage vacancies 27 2.10 Distribution of skill shortage vacancies by sector 28 2.11 Distribution of skill shortage vacancies by occupation 29 3.1 Employment in the UK by broad sector (1999-2010) 48 3.2 Occupational structure – selected industries, UK (1991-99) 51 (% of employment in the sector) 3.3 Projected employment by qualification (1999-2010) 55 3.4 The skill intensity of jobs growth: projected change in demand for 58 qualifications in the UK (1999-2010, 000s) 3.5 Skill trends by occupation (%) 63 3.6 Type of work skill changes in Britain (1992-97, %) 64 4.1 Wage premia from obtaining qualifications (%) 70 4.2 Earnings of people with different levels of literacy and numeracy 72 Figures 1.1 The productivity gap (GDP per worker, UK = 100) 2 1.2(a) A framework for skills assessment – Part 1 4 1.2(b) A framework for skills assessment – Part 2 6
- 13. viii Learn to succeed 2.1 Highest NVQ equivalent qualification held by economically 8 active population, England (1995-2001, %) 2.2 Destinations of school leavers in England (1991 and 2000) 13 2.3 Participation in learning among adults, UK (1996 and 1999) 14 2.4 Spatial skill variations: relationships across levels of qualification 19 2.5 Highest qualification level of those in employment, the long-term 23 unemployed and the economically inactive, England (December 2000-February 2001) 2.6 Occupation of those in employment, and last occupation of the 24 long-term unemployed and economically inactive, England (December 2000-February 2001) 2.7 Qualifications at NVQ level 2+, 3+ or equivalent in the UK, 34 France and Germany 2.8 Percentages of 25- to 29-year-olds and 50- to 54-year-olds who have 36 completed upper secondary education 2.9 Proportions qualified at tertiary level across the OECD 37 2.10 Participation in job-related education and training 38 3.1 The drivers of change 44 3.2 Sectoral structure of UK employment (1991 and 1999) 47 (numbers employed, 000s and %) 3.3 Employment change by occupation, UK (1991-99, 000s) 50 3.4 Occupational change by gender, UK (1999-2010, 000s) 53 3.5 Percentage of employees qualified to NVQ level 3 and above, 57 by occupation, UK (1992-93 and 2000-01) 4.1 Average earnings by highest qualifications held, England (1999) 68 4.2 ILO unemployment rates by highest qualifications held, England (1999) 69 5.1 A low skills equilibrium 90
- 14. ix Preface and acknowledgements This book provides an evidence-based argument for the pursuit of a more highly skilled society. It argues that raising skill levels is vital to both economic success and social inclusion. In short it argues that we need to learn, in order that we may succeed. It sets out the arguments and evidence on the value of education and training. It provides a succinct account of the available evidence on the stock of the nation’s skills and the changing demand for them. It provides a foundation stone for policy development,for the setting of priorities and for action, to turn our relatively ‘skill poor’ country into a ‘skill rich’ country. It provides material that should assist policy makers and practitioners in encouraging people and business that they do, indeed, need to ‘learn to succeed’. Over the last six or seven years, I have made over 100 presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops, dinners and other events on this theme. I have also worked on skills issues,with my colleagues here at the Policy Research Institute, on around 50 research projects for local and regional agencies (Regeneration Partnerships, Training and Enterprise Councils, Learning and Skills Councils, Learning Partnerships, government offices in the regions, Regional Development Agencies); for national government departments (most notably,of course,the Department for Education and Skills);and for international agencies (the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development). I recently undertook a review of the economic benefits of learning for the National Advisory Council on the Education and Training Targets (Campbell, 2000) and also had the privilege of working with the National SkillsTask Force as a member of its research group (NSTF, 2000). I was also a member of the research group advising the Cabinet Office on workforce development. I have also recently completed,with colleagues in the Policy Research Institute,an assessment of the state of skills in England (Campbell et al, 2001). It is time, therefore, that an attempt was made to draw on this material and experience to provide what the author believes is a much needed synthesis of ‘the case for skills’. I am very grateful to the many organisations who have commissioned the Policy Research Institute to work on these themes over the years and, in particular, to the Department for Education and Skills. I am also grateful to my colleagues here who have worked with me on these projects – in particular Simon Baldwin, Steve Johnson, Ben Mitchell, Alexandra Upton and Fiona Walton. I am also indebted to my secretary, Helen Burns, who once again has borne the burden of word processing the text. Ben Mitchell prepared the list of references. Thanks are also due to Professor Ian Stone of the Northern Economic Research Unit at the University of Northumbria who read an earlier version of the typescript and offered a series of helpful suggestions. This book provides argument and evidence. It is, however, not enough. Political will and institutional capacity are both also required to drive through
- 15. x Learn to succeed the necessary change. If the reader needs convincing of the importance, and difficulty, of so doing then read Robert Reich’s superb account of his four years spent trying to engineer a skills revolution in the US as Secretary of Labour in President Clinton’s first administration (Reich,1998). The challenge is indeed great, but then so is the prize. Mike Campbell Leeds December 2001
- 16. 1 ONE Introduction: skills for all “Upon the education of the people of this country, the fate of our people depends.” (Disraeli) This book argues that raising skill levels is crucial to both economic success and social inclusion. It shows that the UK, despite substantial progress in recent years, has a number of serious skills deficiencies. At the same time it shows that the need for skills is great,and increasing,and that there are significant benefits which are likely to accrue to people,companies and the community at large,through raising skill levels. It sets out the barriers that need to be overcome to effectively tackle skills deficiencies and proposes an agenda of what needs to be done in order to create a highly skilled, prosperous and inclusive society. The skills agenda is at the heart of many of the current government’s policy priorities. It is not, however, the purpose of this book to describe, review or assess such policies. In itself this would be a considerable undertaking. Instead, the book makes the economic case for a skills agenda, synthesising a wide range of argument and evidence in a convenient form that is accessible to practitioners and policy makers as well as to students and academics. Necessarily, the arguments and evidence are condensed. However, readers are referred to the references indicated in the text if they should require a more intensive treatment of specific issues. The rest of the chapter proceeds,firstly,by providing a brief indication of the competitiveness and social exclusion problems,to whose resolution an upgrading of workforce skills can contribute so much; and secondly, by dealing with some terminology and definitions used throughout the book. The economic challenge The UK economy is one of the largest and richest in the world. Nevertheless we are faced with a number of important challenges. First, in terms of overall living standards we can assess the UK’s relative position in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per head (DTI, 2001). Indeed, GDP per head is also often thought of as the best single measure of a country’s competitive position. GDP per head in the UK, in 1999, was around £23,000 (at purchasing power parity),which therefore ranks the UK 16th in terms of the 29 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This is fractionally above both the OECD and EU averages and countries such as Spain, France, Greece, Poland and Mexico but below, for example, Norway, Iceland, Australia and Ireland; as well as more familiar competitor countries
- 17. 2 Learn to succeed such as the USA,Japan and Germany. Overall,GDP per head is 21% below the average of the G7 countries (our major competitors). We can reasonably say that living standards and competitiveness have both some way to go to catch up with ‘the best’. Second, the UK has a weak productivity performance (DTI, 2001; HM Treasury, 2001) – this is important, because productivity growth is the most important determinant of long-term GDP growth. Labour productivity is below that in all G7 countries, except Japan, and is ‘significantly’ below the OECD and EU averages. Measured by output per worker the ‘productivity gap’ amounts to over 40% with the US, nearly 20% with France and over 10% with Germany (see Figure 1.1 below). If the UK were able to match the productivity performance of the US,output per head would be £6,000 higher. Furthermore, four fifths of the labour input to economic growth in recent years (1986-99) came from the increasing skills of the labour force rather than the increased size of the employed labour force. Moreover,within the UK,there are enormous differences in the productivity performance of different plants. For example, in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker, the most productive plants are up to five-and-a-half times as productive as the least productive. Even within the same sector the gap varies from around three-and-a-half times to six times. It is estimated that the gaps are even wider in the service sectors of the economy. Furthermore, the most productive plants are, overall, the most highly skilled plants. For example, plants in the two higher productivity quartiles both have higher ratios of skilled to unskilled workers than the lowest two quartiles (HM Treasury, 2001). Figure 1.1:The productivity gap (GDP per worker, UK = 100) 100 142 119 112 Source: HM Treasury (2001, Chart 1.3) 0 30 60 90 120 150 Germany France USA UK
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- 19. CHAPTER XVIII. THE STRANDED STEAMER IN THE BALTIC. On the morning of the first day of July, at nine o'clock, the squadron had accomplished half the distance from Danzig to the mouth of the Oder, or rather to Swinemünde, on the outlet of the Haff to the Baltic. This Haff is the estuary of the Oder, and forms a considerable lake inside of the two islands which separate it from the sea. All hands were called, and the merit-roll for the preceding month was read by the principal, so that the students might know who were eligible to the elective offices. There was hardly a change in the relative rank, for very little had been done upon the lessons during the month. The most remarkable event was, that Scott came out No. 16, which gave him the rank of fourth midshipman. The joker was a first-class seaman, and probably he owed his good fortune largely to the several examinations in nautical matters, though he had exerted himself more than ever before in the scholastic department. The reading of his name in this connection called forth a shout of applause. As usual, Lincoln and Cumberland had the highest number of marks, and Cantwell was the third. De Forrest and Beckwith stood at the foot of the list, for they had been absent from most of the recitations during the month. Cumberland was not eligible to the office of commodore. Lincoln, Cantwell, and the two captains of the consorts were the only candidates for this position. "Of course Cantwell will be chosen," sneered De Forrest. "This thing is played out, and all I want is a chance to get off." "I don't believe you will find any such chance," replied Beckwith. "I don't think we have made anything by running away." "We had a good time while we were away."
- 20. "I didn't. You tagged after that girl, and made me follow you. Now she has cut you." "I'll get even with Lincoln on that yet." "I don't believe you will. It isn't his fault. When the girl found out that you had run away from the ship, she wouldn't look at you again. That's the whole of it," replied Beckwith. While they were talking, the word was passed for all hands to assemble in the waist to hold a caucus for the nomination of officers. "Scott has got into the cabin, and I don't believe he will lead all the fellows in the steerage by the nose now," said De Forrest. "I suppose he will try to make Cantwell commodore." The meeting was organized by the choice of Ryder, the second master, as chairman, and Vroome as secretary. "The meeting is ready for business," said the chairman. "I move that Captain Langdon, of the Josephine, be nominated for commodore," shouted De Forrest. "Second the motion," added Lincoln, promptly. "Question," called several. The motion was put, and voted down without a count. De Forrest tried again with the name of Captain Wolff, of the Tritonia, in order to throw out Lincoln and Cantwell, and Beckwith seconded his motion. "I don't think this is a fair thing, Mr. Chairman," said De Forrest. "A great deal has been said about fair play; but now the ship's company of the Young America want to nominate for commodore, without giving the students in the consorts any voice in the matter." "I desire to say, for the information of the last speaker, that an arrangement has been made by which the ship is to have the office of commodore for two months out of four, while the consorts are to have it the other two months," interposed Cumberland.
- 21. "I don't recognize any such arrangement," replied De Forrest, angrily. This remark was greeted with a shout of laughter, for the runaway spoke as though he had the control of the whole matter. "If the speaker had been on board at Cronstadt when the agreement was made, he would understand it better," said the chairman. "The question is upon the nomination of Captain Wolff." It was voted down almost unanimously. "I move that Captain Cantwell be nominated," said Billy Bobstay, who was filled with gratitude at the generous conduct of the captain towards him. "I second the motion," added Lincoln. "Mr. Chairman, I wish to decline being considered a candidate. I cannot accept the nomination on any conditions," said Cantwell, in a loud, clear, and decided voice. His remark was hailed with the most emphatic applause; and Cantwell hastened to Billy Bobstay, and begged him to withdraw his motion, which he did. "If there is no objection, the motion may be withdrawn," said the chairman. "I object," interposed Lincoln. "Then I hope the ship's company will vote it down, as a favor to me, if for no other reason," added Cantwell. "Question!" called the impatient seamen. It was voted down, but in a mild and gentle manner, which indicated that the students did not do so from any ill will to Cantwell. "Now, Mr. Chairman, I nominate Commodore Lincoln for reëlection," continued the captain. The motion was seconded, and carried with only a single voice against it, and that was De Forrest's, his "no" being uttered in the
- 22. most malignant tone. "Mr. Chairman," shouted Scott, as soon as this question was settled, "I made a speech somewhere up north of here, among the eternal solitudes of nature, and all that sort of thing, you know. I went in for fair play then, as I do now. Some of us didn't vote the regular nominations at the election, and the consequence was, that Captain Cantwell was chosen. I think he has made a very good captain, and been very courteous and gentlemanly to all hands. I shall therefore move that he be nominated again." "Mr. Chairman," said Cantwell, interrupting the applause which followed the joker's speech. "I am very much obliged to those who have supported me, and for this kind response to the motion of the last speaker; but I have already made up my mind not to accept the nomination of captain. In the excitement of the last election, I was chosen to a position for which I was not as competent as many others. I have done my best to improve in seamanship, but I will no longer occupy a place for which others are better fitted than I am." Scott persisted, and Cantwell was nominated; but he positively declined to accept the nomination, though most of the students supposed he was declining for effect, at first. Finally, the principal interposed, for there could be no doubt that the captain was fully in earnest. Cumberland was then nominated for captain, and Cantwell for first lieutenant. Judson, Norwood, and Sheridan were selected for the other three elective places. The balloting was commenced, and all the nominees of the caucus were chosen. The result of the vote for commodore was signalled from each of the consorts, and Lincoln was reëlected. "That's what I call fair play," said Scott. "Yes, it is; but those same fellows will be chosen as long as they remain in the ship," replied Wainwright, who was now the fourth master. "Well, they don't remain much longer," replied Scott. "Nearly all of the fellows in the highest offices will be graduated this summer, and
- 23. I suppose they will leave. That will open the way for others. I wonder how I shall feel in a frock coat." "Probably you will feel good, as all the others do," answered Wainwright, as he led the way into the cabin, where he was presented by the commodore to Miss Gurney and the Kinnairds. "I am glad to see you here, Scott," said Cantwell, taking him by the hand. "I'm afraid there is some blunder in the reckoning," replied Scott. Lincoln had been most heartily congratulated by the ship's guests on his reëlection, and Miss Gurney could not help expressing to Cantwell her admiration of his unselfish conduct. Everybody seemed to be satisfied with the result of the election, except De Forrest. The new plan, of which he claimed the authorship, worked very well, and the students were obtaining some experience in the machinery of politics. Clyde Blacklock, who, when he found it was useless to attempt to run away, or to resist the authority of the ship, had exerted himself to learn and to do his duty, was particularly pleased with the result of his struggles during the month. He was a young man of good parts, and had the English love of invigorating sports. He had taken kindly to his duty, and had made great proficiency during the two months he had been on board. He was the coxswain of the second cutter, and he was prouder of the position than many who had won places in the cabin. Some of the crew of the boat were inclined to sneer at him, but he took especial pains to conciliate them. On the afternoon of the election day it rained, and the guests were compelled to remain in the cabin; but the young officers who were not on duty did their best to entertain them. At night a dense fog set in; but the wind was fair, and the squadron held on its course, and having the starboard tacks aboard, the fog-horns were blown every two minutes. The next morning, at seven bells, pilots were taken, just as the fog began to lift, though it still lay over the land on the port bow. Repeated whistles, as of a steamer, were heard from this
- 24. direction, and the pilot of the ship declared that some vessel was in distress, probably a steamer, which had run ashore in the fog. "Steamer aground on the port bow," shouted the lookout forward, half an hour later. "I see her!" exclaimed Captain Cumberland, who had placed himself in the lee mizzen-shrouds. "She is on a sand-bank." The ship was within half a mile of the steamer, but the pilot declared that it was not prudent to go any nearer. Two guns from the grounded vessel announced that she needed assistance. "Mr. Cantwell, call all hands; clear away the second cutter," said the captain. "All hands, on deck; second cutters, clear away your boat!" piped the boatswain, when the first officer had given the order. "Now, heave her to," added the captain. "Man the main clew-garnets and buntlines!" shouted Cantwell; and his orders were repeated by the other officers at their stations. "Let go the lee braces! Down with the helm, quartermaster!" "Down, sir," responded the quartermaster at the wheel. "Up mainsail! Brace her aback!" The ship rounded up into the wind, the main topsail swung round, and in a few moments the headway of the vessel was checked. "Mr. Scott, in charge of the second cutter!" continued the first lieutenant. Scott leaped lightly into the boat. "Lower away!" said Cantwell, as soon as it was prudent to drop the boat into the water. "Up oars!" shouted Clyde Blacklock, the new coxswain, proud and happy to have a real duty to perform. "Let fall! Give way together!" And away went the second cutter over the waves towards the stranded steamer.
- 25. Mr. Lowington thought it best to send another boat, and the first cutter, pulling twelve oars, was despatched, in charge of Sheridan. The second cutter was far ahead of her, and was the first to reach the unfortunate vessel, which proved to be one of the mail steamers from Stockholm. She had run her bow hard on a sand-bank, and then toppled over on her starboard side, her stern nearly submerged in the deep water. "Way enough!" said Clyde, as the cutter approached her gangway. Scott stood behind the bowman, ready to step on board as soon as the boat was secured. "O Clyde! My son!" shouted a lady among the passengers. "Save us! Save us!" "That's my mother!" exclaimed the coxswain, as Scott leaped upon the deck. "Don't be alarmed, madam. You are perfectly safe," said the fourth midshipman, as he approached the captain, whom he easily recognized by his dress and appearance. "You seem to be in a tight place." The Stranded Steamer. Page 330.
- 26. The captain, who was a German, did not seem to understand this remark, though he spoke English. "You belong to the boy-ship?" said he. "The Academy Ship, sir. What can we do for you?" replied Scott. "I want a steamer to pull me off." "Then I don't know that we can do anything for you." "You can send a steamer, if you are going on to Swinemünde. My passengers are very much frightened, though there is no danger, unless we have a storm." "We will take off your passengers, sir." "Thank you; that will relieve them. I have only ten." The second cutter was swung round, and the officers of the steamer assisted the passengers into the boat. As the first cutter soon arrived, a part of them were placed on board of her. "O Clyde, Clyde!" exclaimed Mrs. Blacklock, as she hugged her boy. "I thought I should never see you again." "Come, mother, don't be too demonstrative. You will make all the fellows laugh at me." "I'm so glad to see you, Clyde!" added Miss Celia Blacklock, his sister. Clyde kissed them both, and then begged them to allow him to attend to his duty. "Up oars!" shouted he, with vigor. "Shove off!" "I am so glad to get out of that steamer!" added Mrs. Blacklock. "I thought we should all be drowned." "Let fall!" said Clyde, too much interested in his new duties even to heed his mother. "Stern, all! Give way!" "And I'm very, very glad to find you again, Clyde!" continued the lady.
- 27. "Oars! Now give way together!" and Clyde gathered up his tiller- ropes, and for the first time had an opportunity to attend to his mother, whom he had not seen for nearly three months. The young Englishman was an only son, and his mother a widow, who had been utterly unable to manage him, after she had spoiled him by early indulgence. The youth had a freak, when he saw the Academy Ship, that he should like to join her, but soon changed his mind. As the institution seemed to be the only means of saving him from his own folly and wilfulness, Mrs. Blacklock had reluctantly permitted Mr. Lowington to take the control of him. Though he had run away, and had been subjected to sharp but excellent discipline, he had done very well as soon as he found it was no longer possible for him to have his own way. "I have been looking for you these two months, Clyde," said his mother. "Where have you been?" Clyde told her where he had been. "I went to St. Petersburg, but the ship had not been there, and I returned to Stockholm, and have spent the last month in Sweden." "We were rusticating among the islands in the Gulf of Bothnia while you were looking for me." "Why haven't you written to me, Clyde?" "I did not know where you were." "I hope you have had enough of the sea," sighed his mother. "I am just beginning to like it first rate. Don't you see I am an officer?" "Are you the captain of the ship?" "Well, no; not exactly that, mother; but I am in command of this boat." Scott turned away, and laughed, as did the stroke oarsman, who also heard the remark.
- 28. "I want you to go with me now. I am very, very lonely without you," added Mrs. Blacklock. "Not much, as the Americans say," replied Clyde, shaking his head. "Much what, my son?" "I don't want to leave the ship. I have done very well, and I am going to be the captain of her one of these days. I have been studying geometry, and algebra, and navigation, and French, and German; and a fellow can learn something in that ship. It's the best school I ever went to.—Way enough!" said the new coxswain, as the cutter approached the gangway of the Young America, the steps of which had been rigged out as soon as it was seen that ladies were coming on board. The passengers of the stranded steamer were assisted to the deck, the boats hoisted up, and the ship filled away. Mrs. Blacklock and her daughter, as well as the others, were cordially welcomed on board by the principal. Breakfast was immediately served for them, and they were made as happy as possible by the young officers, though only a few of the new guests spoke English. "I want to take Clyde away now, Mr. Lowington," said Mrs. Blacklock, as the ship was entering the harbor of Swinemünde. "I would not, madam. He is doing exceedingly well on board," replied the principal. "He was surly and dissatisfied for a time, but now he takes an interest in his studies, and is making rapid progress. He is a good sailor, too." "But I miss him very, very much." "I dare say you do; but you ought to think of the boy's good. I never had a more hopeful case in the ship than he is just now. I am confident we shall make a man of him if you allow us to do so." Clyde was called up to speak for himself, and he begged that his mother would not think of such a thing as removing him. He would write to her every week. The weak lady finally consented, when the youth declared that he would be captain of the ship in due time.
- 29. The squadron came to anchor at Swinemünde, and a boat was immediately sent on shore, with the passengers who wished to land, and with an officer to inform the agents of the steamer of her condition. Arrangements had already been made for sight-seeing in this part of Germany, and the whole ship's company were to make an excursion to Berlin and other places. The Kinnairds and the Blacklocks were to go with them. The party, after remaining on board over Sunday, embarked in the regular steamer for Stettin, which is a four-hours' trip, on Monday and arrived at two o'clock in the afternoon. Having an hour or more to spare before taking the train for Berlin, they had an opportunity to see the principal street of the town, and to visit the old castle, but there was nothing of special interest in the place. The train left Stettin at half past three, and arrived in Berlin at six. The officers and seamen had again been arranged in four divisions, so as not to overwhelm any hotel, and to enable those in charge of them to exercise a proper supervision. Dr. Winstock had gone up to the city to make arrangements for their accommodation, and was at the station on the arrival of the tourists with omnibuses and droschkes enough to convey them to the hotels. The Kinnairds, with the surgeon and the commodore, went to the Hotel de Rome, Unter den Linden, as the principal street of the city is called.
- 31. CHAPTER XIX. BERLIN, POTSDAM, AND DRESDEN. Berlin is built on a plain, and there is nothing in the site to recommend it. Like a drunken man, it is on the Spree, which wanders through the centre of the city, with a branch that forms an island, and a canal that winds around the city, and through the adjacent country, so that the Oder on the east and the Elbe on the west are united. The streets are generally broad, with plenty of squares and other open spaces. The houses are of brick, covered with stucco, upon which the Baltic fogs that prevail here have a bad effect, injuring the appearance of the buildings. The principal street, on which the palaces, museum, and hotels are situated, a very wide avenue, in imitation of the Champs Elysée in Paris, but not at all to be compared with it, is Unter den Linden. The middle of it is a broad gravelled walk, with double rows of lime and other trees to shade it for pedestrians. On each side of this is a narrow roadway for equestrians. Outside of these roads, and separated from them by a fence and a line of trees, are two streets for general use. The weather was warm and pleasant, and Dr. Winstock proposed a ride through Unter den Linden, which is about a mile in length, terminating in the palace at one end, and the Brandenburg Gate at the other. Two droschkes—four-wheeled carriages, with one or two seats, similar to the voitures de place of Paris—were procured. Lincoln and Miss Gurney, with the doctor, occupied one of them. The great avenue was full of people, and the scene was very lively. The party drove towards the palace first, near which the hotel is located. In a moment the doctor stopped the carriage at the colossal statue of Frederick the Great, one of the most magnificent monuments in Europe. The Statue itself is seventeen feet high, resting on a granite pedestal twenty-five feet high, on the sides of which are bronze
- 32. figures in high relief, life size, of thirty-one persons, including the heroes of the Seven Years' War, and the eminent men of the great monarch's reign. "The king lives in that house," said Dr. Winstock, pointing to a very plain edifice nearly opposite the statue. "He may often be seen sitting at the corner window. There is the queen now, at the second story window." Of course this was a genuine sensation, and the party gazed at her majesty, who stood before the window. She wore a white dress, and though she was nearly sixty, she looked much younger. "Is that the queen?" asked Lincoln. "That is Queen Augusta," replied the surgeon. "She don't look like a queen." "Of course she is human," laughed the doctor. "But she looks like any other woman." "Certainly she does. If you met her in the street you could not distinguish her from any other lady." "Have you seen Queen Victoria, commodore?" asked Miss Gurney. "I have not." "I have seen her several times; and she isn't a bit different from any other woman; but I suppose on state occasions, when she wears the crown and her robes, she looks like a queen." "Did you think, Lincoln, that kings and queens went about with crowns on their heads and sceptres in their hands?" "Well, no, sir; but I had an idea that they must appear different from other people." After a drive to the garden opposite the Royal Palace, the party proceeded through Unter den Linden, pausing a moment at the Brandenburg Gate, an immense triumphal arch, on which is a car of Victory, carried to Paris by Napoleon, but returned, after much
- 33. negotiation, in 1814. Beyond this is the Thiergarten, or "garden of animals," a vast tract of land, covered with trees, with roads and paths through it. Very little has been done to make a park of this territory, so that it does not compare with the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, or with Central Park in New York, which is, without doubt, the finest in the world. It was well filled with people at this hour; but generally it is dull and monotonous, like a drive through the woods in the country. Half an hour's ride brought the party to the Zoölogical Gardens, which contains a very large collection of animals, and a fine park. Part of the latter is used as a beer garden, in which there is a large, semicircular, covered stage for the music. There are also several buildings for restaurants, though most of the people were seated at little tables under the trees. A band of about one hundred pieces was playing German airs when the tourists entered, and two or three thousand people were present in the grounds. Ladies and gentlemen, in groups of three or four, were seated at the tables. Nearly all the men were smoking and drinking wine or beer. A few of the ladies drank beer, but most of them were partaking of chocolate, ice-creams, tea, and coffee. The scene was peculiarly German, and everybody seemed to be happy. From this place the party went to Kroll's Garden, where the same scene appeared, though it contains a large hall, with a stage where opera is given at twenty-five cents a ticket, with a good seat. The excursionists returned to the hotel, and the next morning the business of sight-seeing was commenced in earnest by the entire company. They walked to the Lustgarten, an open space at the end of Unter den Linden, on the three sides of which are the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, and the Museum. The first is a vast structure, owing more of its grandeur to its size than to its beauty. At the gate are some bronze horses, held by grooms, like those on Monte Cavallo, at Rome, presented by Nicholas of Russia. The ascent to the second story is by a winding inclined plane, up which a carriage can be driven. In the guard-room the visitors were provided with felt slippers, worn over the boots or shoes, to avoid scratching the polished floors. The apartments are magnificently furnished, but
- 34. they need not be described, for every palace contains substantially the same series of rooms. The White Hall is the most elegant, containing the statues of the Brandenburg Electors, and allegorical figures of the eight Prussian Provinces before the recent wholesale annexation. In one room there is a silver gilt mantel, representing one of pure metal which Frederick the Great melted down to obtain the money to build the new palace at Potsdam, in order to show the princes of Europe that his funds were not exhausted. The new chapel is very rich, and has a lofty dome, from which it is lighted. The floor is of the most beautiful marble, and the walls and ceiling are elegantly frescoed. The palace formerly had the reputation of being haunted by a "White Lady" who appeared only to announce the death of a member of the royal family. The company passed through the Cathedral, and entered the Museum, which is a very handsome edifice. Its art collections are hardly excelled in Europe. Besides vast galleries of painting and sculpture, it contains antiquities from the north, and from Egypt, and curiosities from distant lands, which are among the finest in the world; but the students were more interested in the historical collection than in anything else, particularly the relics of Frederick the Great. Among the latter are the cast of him taken after death, the bullet with which he was wounded at Rossbach, a wax figure of him, clothed in the uniform he wore on the day of his death, his books, cane, and a flute. A dress of the Great Elector, his pipes, and a glass case containing the stars, orders, and decorations of Napoleon, taken at Waterloo by the Prussians, in the carriage now at Madame Tussaud's exhibition in London, are also to be seen in this Museum. The beautiful frescoes in the grand hall were carefully examined, and their allegorical meaning explained. The party went through the Arsenal, and then visited the Aquarium, a private exhibition. The various apartments were in the shape of grottoes of artificial rocks, in which the tanks were ingeniously arranged. The animals were fishes, reptiles, and birds, of which there was an endless variety; and the students generally were more
- 35. pleased with this exhibition than with anything else they saw in Berlin. After dinner, a portion of the party went out to Charlottenberg in the horse car. The town contains a palace built by Frederick I. The gardens are prettily laid out, but almost the only attraction of the place is the monument of Queen Louisa, the most beautiful and amiable princess of her day. She was the wife of Frederick William III., and the mother of the present king. The monument is the reclining form of the queen in marble, on a sarcophagus. It is the work of Rauch, the great sculptor, and is universally appreciated. By its side is a similar monument to the king, her husband. They are contained within a Doric temple. Some of the party who did not visit Charlottenberg went to the Town Hall, under which is a vast beer hall and restaurant, where they had an opportunity to see the manners of the Germans. The same students went to the Jewish synagogue, a large building in Oriental style, holding four thousand people, which cost a million dollars. It contains a gallery for the women, and has a lofty dome. On the backs of the settees were the names of persons who had purchased seats at a thousand thalers each. It is said that those who built this synagogue realize a handsome percentage on their investment from the letting of seats. The Bourse is a handsome building, the interior of which is seventy feet high, with a gallery for visitors extending across the middle, over a partition which divides the grain and the stock exchanges. The next day the entire company went to Potsdam, which may be called the city of palaces, for there are not less than five royal residences in the town. It is eighteen miles from Berlin, and was the favorite summer-home of Frederick the Great, as it is of the present king. Carriages of all sorts and kinds were gathered for the use of the party, and they drove to Babelsberg, which is several miles from the railroad station. As they approached their destination, they crossed the River Havel, which here widens in a broad lake. The carriages were left at the entrance of the grounds, and a walk
- 36. through a pleasant grove brought the tourists to a lovely lawn, bordering on the river, and presenting one of the most beautiful landscapes to be found in any country. This region is diversified by gentle elevations, on one of which stands the castle or chateau of the present king. The estate is his private property, and he pays all the expenses of keeping it, even to the soldiers who are sometimes on duty there. The castle is built on the side of a hill, with an entrance from the lawn, though the principal one is on the other side, one story higher. The party entered at the rear, and came into small apartments, cosily furnished. The skins and heads of several deer, killed by the king, are displayed here. Up one flight the rooms are larger, but they are entirely different from those usually found in palaces. They are elegantly but simply furnished, and contain a great variety of objects of art, with small paintings of the best artists: indeed, everything about them indicates the highest taste and refinement. The queen's rooms are very cosy and home-like. Up stairs are the apartments of the Grand Duchess of Baden, the king's daughter, and of the crown prince. His majesty's bed-room is exceedingly plain, having a narrow bed with chintz curtains. On the wall over the bed hangs a water-color picture, given him by the queen at their silver wedding. Near this chamber is the king's working room; and the students gazed curiously at the books open on the table, the pens with which his majesty wrote, and various other articles he used. In the room are chairs for the ministers when he holds a council here. The view from the windows of the lawn, the lake, and the grove is very fine. Babelsberg, for quiet beauty and taste, cannot be surpassed. The students did not enter the Marble Palace on the banks of the lake. In the water are several miniature vessels and a little steamer, all of them for the amusement and instruction of the little folks. Passing the Russian village, which contains eleven houses like those to be found in Russia, belonging to the better class in the country, built by a party sent here by Nicholas, the sight-seers arrived at the gardens of Sans Souci. They are rather stiffly laid out, with plenty of fountains, statues, fish-ponds, and other ornaments. On a hill, with a
- 37. very long flight of steps leading down to the principal avenue of the garden, is the Palace of Sans Souci,—"without care,"—built by Frederick the Great in 1745. At the end of the terrace are the graves of his favorite dogs, and of the horse he rode in many of his battles. In his will he directed that he should be buried among them, but his request was not heeded. In the palace the room where he breathed his last is shown. A clock, which he always wound up himself, stopped at the instant of his death, and still indicates the time— twenty minutes past two. On the hill near the palace is the historic windmill of Sans Souci, separated from it only by a road. Frederick the Great wished to extend his grounds in the direction of the mill, but the miller refused to sell it. In a lawsuit with the owner the king was defeated, and submitted to the decision. He was so well pleased with Prussian justice, that he pulled down the original mill, which was a very small one, and erected for the miller the present one, on a much larger scale. In the reign of Frederick William IV., the miller who owned it, doubtless a descendant of the one who defeated the monarch at law, became embarrassed, and offered to sell it; but the king settled on him a sum sufficient to extricate him from his difficulties, declaring that the mill was a national monument, and belonged to Prussian history. Not far from the mill is the orangery of the palace, and the Raphael Saloon. The New Palace is the one built by Frederick the Great at the close of the Seven Years' War, to prove that his funds were not exhausted. It contains seventy-two apartments, many of them very gaudy. Some have walls and floors of fantastic marble mosaics. There is a hall whose walls are all composed of shells, and in one various kinds of minerals are inlaid on the sides. Some relics of the great monarch are shown. In the library is a copy of his works, with notes and criticisms by Voltaire, whom Frederick admired and invited to his palace. The New Palace is now one of the residences of the crown prince, Frederick, who married the Princess Royal of England. In the Antique Temple, near it, is a statue of Queen Louisa, the work
- 38. of Rauch, who labored fifteen years upon it, and it is regarded as even superior to the one on her tomb. From this palace the company went to the Garrison Church, where, under the marble pulpit, above ground, is the tomb of Frederick the Great and Frederick William I. The sexton opens the tomb, and visitors are permitted to gaze upon the coffins of the two monarchs. That of the great king is a large and perfectly plain metallic coffin. His sword formerly lay upon it, but was stolen by Napoleon, who visited the tomb. On each side of the pulpit hang the eagles and standards taken from the French by the Prussians, and their presence seems to be a just retaliation for the theft. The old Royal Palace, or Residenz, commenced in 1660, is a very large building, with interminable suites of rooms, some of them occasionally used at the present time. Within it are shown several articles belonging to Frederick the Great, as one of his flutes, some music composed by him, and his old boots. His little dining-room contains a table, in which is a slide, to enable him to dispense with the attendance of a servant. The apartment is provided with double doors, so that he could entertain a friend without being over-heard. The party then returned to Berlin before five in the afternoon. At quarter of eight in the evening, they took places in the schnellzug, or fast train and arrived at Dresden about half past twelve. In half an hour more, most of them were asleep at the Hotels de Bellevue, Victoria, Saxe, and Stadt. The Bellevue, on the bank of the Elbe, is one of the pleasantest and best kept hotels in Europe. Dresden is the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, whose territory is a thousand square miles smaller than the State of Massachusetts, but has a population of two million four hundred thousand. It is an independent state, except that its army is under the control of the King of Prussia in time of war. Its royal house is one of the oldest in Europe, and in the tenth century gave an Emperor to Germany. The population of Dresden is one hundred and fifty-six thousand. It is in a healthy and pleasant region, and has many attractions, so that it has long been regarded as a desirable residence by Americans.
- 39. Hundreds of families from the United States live there, not only because it is cheap and pleasant, but because the place affords the best advantages for education, while its art collections and curiosities are not excelled by many of the capitals of Europe. Not many of the students appeared the next morning before nine o'clock, though most of them had slept all the way from Berlin to Dresden. Palaces and museums with waxed floors are very tiresome. One needs a week properly to digest the sights of the capital of Saxony; but our party were to do what they could in a single long day. Mr. Ferdinand Spott, one of the most honest, faithful, and reliable commissionaires to be found in Europe, was engaged to engineer the sight-seeing, and to make arrangements for a visit to the Saxon Switzerland the next day. Dresden is on both sides of the Elbe, the old city being on the left bank, and the new on the right. They are joined by a noble stone bridge, fourteen hundred feet long, originally built with funds procured by the sale of dispensations from the pope of indulgences to eat eggs and butter during Lent. One of its arches was blown up by Davoust, to favor the retreat of the French army after the battle of Dresden, but was promptly restored by the Emperor of Russia. Near the bridge, in the old city, is a large square, part of it beautifully laid out in groves, gardens, and winding walks, with a pond and island in it. On or near this square are most of the attractions to strangers. The Hotel de Bellevue is on the river, in one corner. Next to it, on the river, is an extensive restaurant and beer garden. The theatre which stood in the centre of the square has been destroyed by fire, a temporary structure of wood taking its place. On one side stands the Zwinger, originally intended as the vestibule of a vast palace, the rest of which was never erected, contains the Armory and Museum of Natural History. Opposite the bridge is the Catholic Church, a very odd and profusely ornamented structure. The royal family are Catholics, though the great majority of the people are Lutherans. Next to this is the Schloss, or palace, and connected with it is the picture gallery.
- 40. The principal attraction of the palace is the Green Vaults, a series of eight apartments, taking their name from the former color of the furnishings, in which are kept the treasures of the kingdom, and an immense variety of curious, rare, and costly articles. Only six persons can be admitted at one time, and the fee for this or any less number is two thalers, or a dollar and a half. An arrangement was made by which the entire party could see them in the course of the day. A portion of the students went to the picture gallery first, another to the Green Vaults, and a third to the Armory in the Zwinger, so as to avoid uncomfortable crowds. One room in the Green Vaults is said to contain jewels to the value of fifteen million dollars, which is only a portion of the riches of the palace. The Saxon princes were formerly the wealthiest monarchs in Europe, the silver mine of Freiberg yielding them an immense revenue. They used much of their riches in accumulating valuable and costly works of art, jewels, trinkets, and curiosities. The first room contains articles in bronze; the second, carvings in ivory, of the most elaborate description; the third, Florentine mosaics; the fourth, gold and silver plate, used at the banquets of the kings; the fifth, vessels and articles cut from various minerals; the sixth, figures in ivory and wood, and jewels and trinkets; the seventh, the regalia worn by Augustus II., who was elected King of Poland, at his coronation. The eighth contains a collection of jewels and other costly articles, calculated to astonish and bewilder a simple republican—rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds, chains, collars, crosses, rings, swords. The court of the Great Mogul is composed of one hundred and thirty-two figures, of pure gold enamelled, which cost nearly fifty thousand dollars. The Armory contains one of the finest collections of armor and historical relics in Europe. In one room is a cabinet given by the Elector of Saxony to Martin Luther, which contains several articles that belonged to the reformer. In another are the coronation robes of Augustus the Strong, the horseshoe he broke with his fingers, and his iron cap, weighing nineteen pounds. The saddle of Napoleon, the boots he wore at Dresden, and the shoes he wore at his coronation,
- 41. are to be seen. One room contains a tent taken from the Turks at the siege of Vienna, with various memorials of John Sobieski, who saved the city. The rooms were all full of interest, but the students were obliged to hasten through them. The picture gallery contains twenty-seven hundred original paintings, including some of the best works of the old and of modern masters. The most celebrated picture is the Madonna di San Sisto, of Raphael. The Madonna is rising to heaven with the infant Jesus in her arms, while Pope Sixtus, from whom the picture takes its name, is gazing at them with reverential awe. Below are two cherubs looking upward. Opposite the pope is the kneeling form of St. Barbara, while the background of the picture is made up of "the innumerable company of angels," whose faces cover the canvas, but are hardly noticeable at first. This painting cost forty thousand dollars, and occupies an apartment by itself at one corner of the building. At the opposite end, another room is appropriated solely to the Madonna of Holbein, which is his masterpiece. It represents the burgomaster of Basle, with his family, praying the Virgin to save his dying child. She is laying down the infant Jesus, to take up the sick child. The gallery contains many other remarkable works by Correggio, Titian, Paul Veronese, Van Dyck, Rubens, Rembrandt, Albert Dürer, and, indeed, pictures by nearly all the old masters. In the afternoon some of the party rode to the Great Garden, where there is a palace of Augustus II., with eight pavilions for his favorites, and then to the Japanese Palace, so called from the style of some of its rooms, in the new city. It is near the bank of the Elbe, with extensive gardens on the river. It contains antiquities, statuary, mostly ancient, bronzes, collections of porcelain and Dresden china, and some Roman tombs, with urns filled with the ashes and burned bones of the dead. In the evening at six o'clock many attended the opera, which was, "The Master Singer of Nuremberg," by Wagner, introducing Hans Sachs, the author of so many German ballads. The music seemed
- 42. like a general crash, and the students were unable to appreciate it. The next morning the whole company took the train for Pötzscha. "There is our king," said Mr. Spott, as the train stopped at a station. "Where? Where?" demanded the students. "The old gentleman in a white hat, and that is the queen with him." Most of the students got out of the cars. The king had no attendants whatever, a single policeman clearing the way for them. He wore a dark coat, with striped pants, and the queen was dressed with equal simplicity. There was no mark by which they could be distinguished from other people, and the king might easily have been mistaken for a merchant or farmer. Mr. Lowington thought that he looked like General Anderson, of Fort Sumter fame. Their majesties were attending their daughter, the Duchess of Genoa, who was on her way to Italy, simply coming to see her off. The queen wept like other people, and the king looked very sad. The party arrived at their destination, crossed the river, and walked through a wild region, abounding in narrow passes, deep glens, and headlong steeps. Near the end of the walk they came to a remarkable chasm, which looks like an immense dry dock. It is nearly a thousand feet deep, with perpendicular sides of basaltic rock, like the Giant's Causeway. The students cried out with wonder and admiration as they gazed into the deep abyss, in which they looked far down upon the tops of the tall trees. The party wandered about over rocks, peeping over cliffs, till they came to the hotel on the highest hill. Near it is an observatory, which commands a fine view of the winding Elbe, of Königstein, a fortress on a rock twelve hundred feet high. Crossing a bridge, they stood upon the Bastei, which is a flat rock, surrounded by an iron railing. It rises nearly a thousand feet perpendicularly from the bank of the river, and commands a splendid view of the valley beneath. A precipice extends for miles along the right bank of the Elbe; and nowhere in Europe is so much picturesque scenery crowded into so small a space as in the Saxon Switzerland. The party returned to Dresden by
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