The media flows with genuine tears over the catastrophic fire at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Historians would be quick to point out that such awful fires have occurred with dismaying regularity across the centuries. The difference here was the possibility of limiting the damage through modern fire-fighting equipment, plus the fact that technology allowed the entire world learn about the tragedy within minutes.

Since Monday’s blaze, commentators across world are the hailing this remarkable 850-year old cathedral as a “Treasure of our Western Culture” or “A Landmark of our Western Civilization.” All true, of course. All true.

But what an awful thing to have to witness in order for these obvious words of praise to emanate from our news outlets. How rarely these days do we hear acknowledgements of the value of our Western Culture? On the contrary, the degradation of our Western values and achievements has become a full-time occupation of most media outlets, not to mention the academic community. Every “de,” “dis,” and “un” available in a language is regularly employed to denigrate, disparage, and unseat our Western heritage.

What has fueled this somber turn of events? The residue of the disasters created by my generation in the 1960s, institutionalized educational theories of relativism, progressivism, and just plain laziness at learning the treasures bequeathed to us by the Ancient poets, philosophers, mathematicians, architects, and artists.

The values and virtues laid down, stone-by-stone, in the Cathedral of Notre Dame (as well as in monuments across our Western Civilization) are under threat—not just from fire, but from disdain and degradation. The ignorance behind these attacks is staggering.

Now, after this tragic blaze, we hear the unaccustomed sound of paeans of admiration sung for the architecture and art contained within Notre Dame, even as many of these same voices ignore the spiritual purpose of the edifice and the theological significance of each bit of glass, bronze, and stone. Perhaps they genuinely don’t know.

When we began here at “Professor Carol,” we intended to design a single course to teach music history. Things unfolded differently. Particularly once we linked up with an extraordinary group of colleagues actively shaping today’s new movements in education (e.g. Classical Education, Charlotte Mason, homeschooling), we found ourselves on a different journey—a journey that, to be honest, Hank and I had been waiting our whole lives to take.

Along the way, we have experimented with “slogans”—not because we wanted a slogan, but because slogans are useful (particularly for those iconic “elevator speeches” which really do happen in elevators). We found ourselves encouraging our audiences to “Analyze the historical record through the lens of the Fine Arts” and “Use the Arts to integrate every aspect of your curriculum.”

But recently we’ve settled on this:

Our Western Heritage is not an elective: it is a treasure.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this awful blaze in Paris will remind us how fragile a heritage really is. Even a single generation of neglect can weaken it.

Our heritage is not just being neglected: it is under attack as much as those centuries-old rafters that burned so rapidly in Notre Dame’s roof. Each of us who is occupied with teaching the riches passed down from our forefathers serves as a tiny sprinkler, poised to douse the all-consuming flames. We are fire-fighters, working together against obstacles unimaginable even two decades ago. Our burden is made lighter by each other’s effort.

May the Cathedral of Notre Dame be renewed, the glorious spire be rebuilt, and new fire safeguards put into place to protect the cathedral. God bless those who provide the enormous financial means needed, as well as the intricate skill required. And may each child once again be raised to love Beauty, identify Goodness, and pursue Virtue, standing strong to renew and protect the structure of Western Civilization.