CREEPER 



1631 



CREOSOTE 



favored first one, then another, until the Eng- 

 lish became supreme. During the Revolu- 

 tionary War they fought with the English, and 

 after the war many Tories settled among them 

 and caused them to continue their hostility 

 towards the United States. In the War of 

 1812 part of them became openly hostile, 

 bringing on the Creek War of 1813, during 

 which they caused the massacre at Fort Mims. 

 The Creeks were severely punished. 



In 1832 they sold all they had left to them 

 east of the Mississippi River and removed to 

 Indian Territory, where, for a time, they re- 

 sisted all attempts to civilize them. During 

 the War of Secession they furnished men to 

 both armies, but those favoring the Union 

 cause were driven into Kansas, where many 

 perished. The bulk of the Creeks now reside 

 in Oklahoma, though there are a few small 

 groups in Alabama and other states. They 

 number about 6,900 of pure Indian stock, but 

 there are many among them of a mixed race. 

 For customs and habits, see INDIANS, AMER- 

 ICAN; also, FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES. 



CREEPER, kreep'er, the name of a family 

 of small, busy birds much like the nuthatches 

 in their habit of climbing trees. Most creepers 

 are found in Europe, but the common brown 

 creeper is also seen in North America, being 

 especially abun- 

 dant in South- 

 ern Canada. It 

 is smaller than 

 the sparrow, 

 and its brown 

 plumage, 

 streaked 'with 

 white, looks al- 

 most like the 

 rough bark of 

 the trees it 

 climbs. It i s 

 grayish-white 

 beneath, h o w - 

 ever. This re- 

 markably active 

 bird circles a 

 tree from the 

 base upward by means of its strong feet and 

 twelve stiff tail feathers, and conscientiously 

 picks from the bark with its slender, curved 

 bill and sharp-pointed tongue every spider egg 

 or insect it can find. Then it drops to the 

 ground and works its way up another tree. It 

 has a "wild, sweet song," usually heard, how- 

 ever, only when the bird is making its nest of 



THE CREEPER 



moss, feathers and fine twigs behind a piece 

 of bark. 



CREMATION, krema'shun, the act of burn- 

 ing bodies of the dead instead of burying them, 

 a practice which has passed down the gen- 

 erations from prehistoric times. It has been 

 long advocated throughout America and 

 Europe, and many cremation societies have 

 been organized. At present Germany leads in 

 the movement. Although the practice is ob- 

 jected to for sentimental reasons,, and the 

 Roman Catholic Church is actively opposed 

 to it, its economic values are by no means 

 small. Cremation lessens the spread of dis- 

 ease, and in some parts of the world removes 

 the necessity of using for burial purposes land 

 which is really needed for a growing popula- 

 tion. Cremation, of course, removes all trace 

 of crime and for that reason is objected to 

 by those whose duty it is to enforce laws. 

 Insurance companies, too, have found that 

 proofs of death by poisoning, etc., have been 

 removed by cremation and money may thereby 

 be secured fraudulently. But the hygienic good 

 tends to make the practice widespread. 



The present method of cremation is as fol- 

 lows: After the name plate and handles have 

 been removed, casket and body are placed in 

 a specially-constructed furnace and subjected 

 to intense heat, 2,000 to 2,500 F., but not 

 to direct flames. Where obtainable, gas is 

 used as fuel, but coal is usually employed. 

 After a few hours the casket and clothing have 

 changed to gaseous products and light ash, and 

 about four pounds of pure bone ash remain. 

 The latter is placed in an urn, sealed and 

 labeled, and delivered to relatives of the de- 

 ceased. The building in which cremation takes 

 place is called a crematorium; it is usually 

 located in a cemetery; nearly every large city 

 has at least one. The cost of cremation varies, 

 but averages about $25. 



CREOLE, kre'ohl, a term applied to the 

 descendants of Europeans born in the West 

 Indian Islands, the southern parts of the United 

 States, the Island of Mauritius, and other sec- 

 tions of the world colonized by Spain or 

 France. The term implies purity of European 

 blood, either Spanish or French, unmixed with 

 that of other people, and must not be con- 

 fused with mulatto (which see). 



CREOSOTE, kre'osote, the name given to a 

 certain product of wood tar, extracted by a 

 tedious process of distillation. It was dis- 

 covered in 1832 by Riechenbach. For medic- 

 inal purposes, that derived from beech wood 



