Not like the poor store clerk can change it.

In the early 1900s a sixteen boy year in rural America knew how to drive, to shoot, and to run the entire farm. If he wanted to set out west to make his own way there was a good chance his parents already viewed him as a man capable.

A sixteen year old in the city didn't know how to live in the city or the boonies. They knew nothing of firearms or why the rural kid needs one.

All that's changed is a lot more people now live in cities.