The world has changed less since Jesus Christ than it has in the last thirty years, Charles Péguy had to note with horror in 1913. In response to the cold rationalization and economization of life brought about by the upheavals of modernity, he wrote "Money," a moving ode to the disappearing old, people-oriented France that had endured for centuries. He describes the simple yet fulfilling life between the church and the village school, characterized by a unique dignity beyond the shine of abundance. He also depicts how relationships of mutual recognition were upheld even in elementary school, an institution that stood like no other for the transmission and anchoring of knowledge and values, and which was also threatened to erode. Péguy's portrayals, straddling nostalgia and outrage, still resonate with us today, as they remain of lasting relevance.