The alphabet book, which consisted of two volumes, was used in China to teach small children. It was written in verse and contained many proverbs. The book was translated from Chinese and Manchu by court councilor Aleksei Leontiev. Then it was published in Saint Petersburg in 1779. Researchers suppose that the Cossack Military School students used such books.
The Cossack Military School was founded on May 1, 1813, at the initiative of general Georg Johann von Glasenapp, the chief of the Siberian Frontier Line and commander of the independent Siberian Corps. His goal was ‘to make the young men acquainted with the duties of man, with virtue, with humility, and with the fear of God.’
Initially, it was situated at the ‘ambassador’ house, where Asian ambassadors who came to Omsk lived. The building was intended for only 20 students.
First, the education program included calligraphy, arithmetic, and Russian grammar. Then the school started to teach physics, foreign languages, war science, agriculture. The number of students increased to 300 by 1817. In 1825, the school acquired a new official name: ‘The Siberian Cossack Combat Host School’.
In 1826, the cadet school moved to a new building. In 1828, it merged with the Asian school where interpreters (tolmachi) were trained. In 1829, the school began to train topographers. Moreover, a teacher-scribe class was created, where average-ability students learned. A handyman class for underachievers also opened. Its students lived separately, wore the worst clothes, did not study in classes, did not sit at the common table.
The school also taught religion, history, geography, and statistics. Real guns and sabers were used in military classes. The students wore Cossack clothes, the best ones were awarded with a feldwebel’s or non-commissioned officer’s tie. Since 1841, they were sent to a camp for summer, where they lived in tents. In 1833, the school established its garden where the students worked.
The Cossack Military School was founded on May 1, 1813, at the initiative of general Georg Johann von Glasenapp, the chief of the Siberian Frontier Line and commander of the independent Siberian Corps. His goal was ‘to make the young men acquainted with the duties of man, with virtue, with humility, and with the fear of God.’
Initially, it was situated at the ‘ambassador’ house, where Asian ambassadors who came to Omsk lived. The building was intended for only 20 students.
First, the education program included calligraphy, arithmetic, and Russian grammar. Then the school started to teach physics, foreign languages, war science, agriculture. The number of students increased to 300 by 1817. In 1825, the school acquired a new official name: ‘The Siberian Cossack Combat Host School’.
In 1826, the cadet school moved to a new building. In 1828, it merged with the Asian school where interpreters (tolmachi) were trained. In 1829, the school began to train topographers. Moreover, a teacher-scribe class was created, where average-ability students learned. A handyman class for underachievers also opened. Its students lived separately, wore the worst clothes, did not study in classes, did not sit at the common table.
The school also taught religion, history, geography, and statistics. Real guns and sabers were used in military classes. The students wore Cossack clothes, the best ones were awarded with a feldwebel’s or non-commissioned officer’s tie. Since 1841, they were sent to a camp for summer, where they lived in tents. In 1833, the school established its garden where the students worked.
