The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer

Rudyard Kipling, author of the ritual

H. E. T. Haultain conceived the ritual and requested Kipling to create it.

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer is a ritual for students about to graduate from an engineering program at a university in Canada. Participation may also be permitted for Canadian professional engineers and registered engineers-in-training who received training elsewhere. The ritual is administered by a body called The Corporation of the Seven Wardens.^[1] Each participant is conferred the Iron Ring as part of the ritual.

The ritual traces its origins to Professor H. E. T. Haultain of the University of Toronto, who believed and persuaded other members of the Engineering Institute of Canada that there needed to be a ceremony and standard of ethics developed for graduating engineers. The ritual was created in 1922 by Rudyard Kipling at the request of Haultain, representing seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada.^[2][3] The seven past-presidents were the original seven Wardens of the Corporation.

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer has been instituted with the simple end of directing the young engineer towards a consciousness of his profession and its significance, and indicating to the older engineer his responsibilities in receiving, welcoming and supporting the young engineers in their beginnings.

—Rudyard Kipling, from notes by Dr. J. Jeswiet ^[4]

An inaugural ceremony was held in the evening of April 25, 1925, at the University Club of Montreal, when the obligation was taken by six engineers,^[5] some of whom where involved with Kipling in its development. On May 1st, 1925, three of these newly obligated engineers^[6] met at the University of Toronto with a number of the officers of the Engineering Alumni Association and obligated 14 of them in the Senate Chamber of the University becoming the first local chapter (referred to as a Camp) to do so. The Ritual and the conferring of the Iron Ring continues to be administered by The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc./Société des Sept Gardiens inc. through Camps^[7] associated with the universities granting degrees in engineering in Canada.

The Ritual

The ritual takes place separately at individual universities across Canada. Although the ceremonies are separate, each university is also grouped into one of 25 camps of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens for administrative purposes.

The Obligation, which is not an oath but a solemn expression of intention, is subscribed to at the ceremony. The Obligation essentially states the duties and responsibilities of the engineer. Following the Obligation, the Iron Ring is placed on the little finger of the working hand,^[2] and is worn by the engineer as a symbol and a reminder. As originally conceived, the Engineer's iron ring rubs against the drawings and paper upon which the Engineer writes.

The Obligation is private, though not necessarily secret.^[8] However, it is customary for those who have gone through it to not discuss the details of the Calling with others, even engineers from other countries. The ceremony is open only to candidates or those who have already undergone the ritual.^[8]

As part of the preparation for the ritual, candidates are instructed not to discuss the details of the ritual with the media. A reminder of this is provided at the end of the ceremony in the form of a written instruction that states: "The Rule of Governance provides that there shall be no publicity in connection with the Ritual." ^[8]

Commemorating the 75th anniversary, the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer domestic-rate stamp was issued on April 25, 2000. Designer Darrell Freeman's "head-to-foot" layout incorporates the symbolic iron ring that is presented as part of the ceremony. The ring also visually links the four engineering achievements featured on this stamp.^[9]

The Iron Ring

Main article: Iron Ring

The Iron Ring may be made from either iron or stainless steel. Presently, only Camp One of the Corporation in Toronto continues to confer rings made from iron; stainless steel rings are conferred at all other locations across Canada. The Iron Ring does not certify a person as a Professional Engineer,^[1] which requires registration with a relevant professional organization followed by examination and practical experience.

The Corporation of the Seven Wardens

The Corporation of the Seven Wardens (French: Société des Sept Gardiens) is the body that holds the rights and the duty to carry out The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. It is organized into 25 regional branches, called camps, numbered by order of establishment. The term camp is used to describe these regional branches because it conveys a smaller, close-knit sense of community.

Camp	Associated universities [10]
1 Toronto	University of Toronto Ryerson University University of Ontario Institute of Technology York University
2 Montreal	McGill University Concordia University Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue École Polytechnique de Montréal (Université de Montréal) École de technologie supérieure (Université du Québec)
3 Kingston	Queen's University Royal Military College of Canada
4 Saskatoon	University of Saskatchewan
5 Vancouver	University of British Columbia Simon Fraser University
6 Edmonton	University of Alberta
7 Halifax	Dalhousie University
8 Winnipeg	University of Manitoba
9 Fredericton	University of New Brunswick
10 Quebec City	Université Laval Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Université du Québec à Rimouski
11 London	University of Western Ontario
12 Ottawa	Carleton University University of Ottawa Université du Québec en Outaouais
13 Hamilton	McMaster University
14 Windsor	University of Windsor
15 Waterloo	University of Waterloo
16 Sherbrooke	Université de Sherbrooke
17 Guelph	University of Guelph
18 Calgary	University of Calgary
19 Moncton	Université de Moncton
20 St. John's	Memorial University of Newfoundland
21 Thunder Bay	Lakehead University
22 Sudbury	Laurentian University
23 Victoria	University of Victoria
24 Trois-Rivières	Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
25 Regina	University of Regina

See also

• Iron Ring
• Order of the Engineer

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer ", The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc , Retrieved April 4, 2010
2. ^ ^{a b} "Order Of The Engineer-History ", Order of the Engineer.org, Retrieved April 4, 2010
3. ^ "Engineer-in-Residence/ Iron Ring ", Professional Engineers Ontario, Retrieved April 4, 2010
4. ^ Dr. J. Jeswiet: Information Relevant to the Iron Ring Ceremony
5. ^ R.A. Ross, Consulting Engineer, acting as the Senior Supervising Engineer ofthe ceremony; J.M.R. Fairbairn, Chief Engineer, Canadian Pacific Railway; Harold Rolph, President, John S. Metcalf and Co., Consulting Engineers; N.M. Lash, Chief Engineer, Bell Telephone Co.; J.M. Robertson, Consulting Engineer; and John Chalmers, Engineer for John Quinlan & Co., Contractors.
6. ^ Dr. Ross, Dr. Fairbairn and Mr. Rolph.
7. ^ Camp locations and affiiations.
8. ^ ^{a b c} Compiled by Dr. J. Jeswiet, "Information Relevant to the Iron Ring Ceremony ", November 22, 2001; Retrieved April 4, 2010
9. ^ "Commemorative Stamp-Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, 1925-2000 ", Canada Post, April 25, 2000; Retrieved April 4, 2010
10. ^ "Contacts/Camp Secretaries ", The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc, Retrieved January 19, 2011

External links

• The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer website
• Information Relevant to the Iron Ring Ceremony, compiled by Dr. J. Jeswiet, November 22, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2010.