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But justice is likewise blind. The Blind Commission of Hamilton County early in its work recognized the fact that, in order that it might do its work well and in an orderly manner, free from prejudice or favor, protect itself, as well as the state, against impostors, and secure a permanent record open to the citizens of the state, a certain form of procedure was necessary which would disclose the conditions on which our judgment was based in each individual case.

First. A Record Blank was framed, known as Form 1, giving the social and economic factors in the applicant's history, covering briefly the following points (1) : name, age, color, married or single, date of birth, native or foreign, residence, family, person in charge, health, education before blindness, since blindness, blind school attended, earning capacity before and since blindness, occupation before and since blindness, relief and character of.

Second. A Medical Record Blank, known as Form 2, was adopted, being a scientific record of the conditions present in both eyes on which the diagnosis of blindness is based, and such other matter as is important to determining the causation of blindness.

Third. An affidavit embodying the essential factors of the blind pension law necessary to make the applicant eligible for a pension; namely, that he is blind, needy, and a resident of the state and county. These facts to be sworn to before a notary public by a registered physician and a citizen.

Fourth. A certificate of blindness which recites that the cause of the applicant has been duly heard and considered, and that a specified sum (not exceeding $150 per annum, and payable in quarterly installments) has been granted.

Fifth. A voucher ordering the county auditor to issue a warrant on the county treasurer for _____ dollars.

After the conditions of the first two forms had been complied with, agents of the Associated Charities of Cincinnati (of which Pres. C. M. Hubbard is the general secretary) made a personal investigation in order to verify and supplement by further information the statements made by the applicants. In many cases the information was invaluable and has very materially aided us in weighing the merits of the individual applications, and in close cases, or where the information was vague, several visits were made. It has not always been easy to get an exact statement of the family income, but this was always insisted on before the case received favorable recognition. The board recognized that blindness was the prime factor in admitting the applicant to consideration; but, after all, if he was not needy, the pension was not allowed, and twenty-nine blind applicants were rejected because they were found not to be needy.

It also became necessary to define our attitude toward the applicants, and after much thought and discussion the following propositions were formulated and became the by-laws of the commission.

1. Any inmate of the city or county infirmary may be granted a pension on assurance that he will leave the institution as soon as the first quarterly payment is made, and on the further satisfactory assurance that he will not become a mendicant or dependent on charity of a public nature.

2. Any inmate of a permanent home, while he remains in the home, is not eligible for a pension. The commission will exercise the same power of inquiry as to how he proposes to maintain himself, and the same rules will apply as in the case of infirmary inmates.

3. We recognize the obligation of children to support their parents. We recognize the moral obligation which exists between blood relationship.

4. Will not encourage the blind in vicious habits, such as drunkenness, and will exercise the right to enforce assignment of pension to an acceptable trustee.

5. Will do all we can to encourage industry.

As a result, twenty-one were rejected because they were inmates of various charitable institutions of a public and private nature.

A standard defining blindness was also adopted and three degrees of blindness defined.

First. Total or absolute blindness. In which the light sense was totally abolished.

Second. Blindness. Where vision in both eyes, with proper correcting glasses adjusted, is of so low a degree that fingers can no longer be counted at one meter or three feet, but movements of the hand or moving objects may still be discerned.

Third. Practical blindness. Where moving objects may still be discerned at three meters, or nine feet, but where the field of vision has become so impaired (either by contraction of the field down to five degrees or less, or where central vision is entirely abolished and a small area of excentric vision remains, or where disseminated scotomata exist, or where only a sector of excentric vision remains) that no useful vision remains and the individual gets about with great difficulty.

Fourth. Only those will be considered as blind who are hopelessly and incurably so.