The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer is a private

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

, authored by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

, in which students about to graduate from an engineering program at a university in Canada are permitted to participate. Participation may also be permitted for Canadian

professional engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thro ...

s and registered engineers-in-training who received training elsewhere. The ritual is administered by a body called The Corporation of the Seven Wardens.The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer
, '' The Corporation of the Seven Wardens'', Retrieved 4 April 2010 As part of the ritual each participant is conferred the Iron Ring.

History

The ritual traces its origins to professor H. E. T. Haultain of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, who believed and persuaded other members of the

Engineering Institute of Canada The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) (French: l'Institut canadien des ingénieurs; ICI) is a federation of fourteen engineering societies based in Canada, covering a broad range of engineering branches, and with a history going back to 1887. F ...

that there needed to be a ceremony and standard of ethics developed for graduating engineers. This was in response to the Quebec Bridge Disaster in which 75 workmen died due to faulty engineering calculations and miscommunication. The ritual was created in 1922 by

at the request of Haultain, representing seven past-presidents of the

.Engineer-in-Residence/ Iron Ring
", ''

Professional Engineers Ontario Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO; known until 1993 as the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, APEO) is the self-regulatory body that governs Ontario's 85,000 professional engineers, and sets standards for and regulates engineering ...

'', Retrieved 4 April 2010 The seven past-presidents were the original seven wardens of the corporation. An inaugural ceremony was held in the evening of 25 April 1925, at the University Club of Montreal, when the obligation was taken by six engineers, some of whom were involved with Kipling in its development. On 1 May 1925, three of these newly obligated engineers 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. Fairbairn met with Harry F. McLean, president of Dominion Construction and Kipling in Montreal at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel to discuss the details of the ritual. Fairbairn later visited McLean at his home in Merrickville, Ontario, to secure a sizeable donation from McLean, philanthropist, on behalf of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, the custodian and administrator of the ritual, to ensure its survival. 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 associated with the universities granting degrees in engineering in Canada.

Ritual

The ritual takes place separately at individual Camps across Canada usually situated near an engineering university. The ceremonies are separate, organised by one of 28 camps of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens for administrative purposes. The

Obligation An obligation is a course of action that someone is required to take, whether legal or moral. Obligations are constraints; they limit freedom. People who are under obligations may choose to freely act under obligations. Obligation exists when the ...

, which is not an

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...

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 The little finger, or pinkie, also known as the baby finger, fifth digit, or pinky finger, is the most ulnar and smallest digit of the human hand, and next to the ring finger. Etymology The word "pinkie" is derived from the Dutch word ''p ...

of the working hand,Order Of The Engineer-History
, ''

Order of the Engineer The Order of the Engineer is an association for graduate and professional engineers in the United States that emphasizes pride and responsibility in the engineering profession. It was inspired by the success of the Ritual of the Calling of an E ...

.org'', Retrieved 4 April 2010 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 and even in modern times, serves as a reminder when working on a computer. Previously, a biblical passage was quoted:

2 Esdras 2 Esdras (also called 4 Esdras, Latin Esdras, or Latin Ezra) is an apocalyptic book in some English versions of the Bible. Tradition ascribes it to Ezra, a scribe and priest of the , but scholarship places its composition between 70 and . It ...

, Chapter 4, Verses 5-10. More generally today Kipling's poem, th
''Hymn of Breaking Strain''
is recited. The Obligation is private, though not necessarily

secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

. 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, those who have already undergone the ritual and at some sites, guests invited by candidates.Compiled by Dr. J. Jeswiet,
Information Relevant to the Iron Ring Ceremony
", 22 November 2001; Retrieved 4 April 2010 Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer Oath

Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer Oath

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." '' Commemorating the 75th anniversary, the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer domestic-rate stamp was issued on 25 April 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.Commemorative Stamp-Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, 1925–2000
, ''

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

'', 25 April 2000; Retrieved 4 April 2010 The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer has a very simple purpose: To direct the newly qualified engineer toward a consciousness of the profession and its social significance and indicating to the more experienced engineer their responsibilities in welcoming and supporting the newer engineers when they are ready to enter the profession. The ring symbolizes the pride which engineers have in their profession, while simultaneously reminding them of their humility. The ring serves as a reminder to the engineer and others of the engineer's obligation to live by a high standard of professional conduct.

Iron Ring

The Iron Ring may be made from either iron or stainless steel. Presently, only Camp One of the Corporation in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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 Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thro ...

, which requires registration with a relevant professional organisation followed by examination and practical experience.

Management

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 organised into 28 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.

Notes

References

External links

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer website

compiled by Dr. J. Jeswiet, 22 November 2001. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
Archival papers
are held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, The Engineering literature Works by Rudyard Kipling Rituals 1922 works Canadian traditions