Karen, I agree with wahoonc on emphasizing the skill aspect. My first car was a '51 crash-box VW. Having taught myself to smoothly shift up and down using the double-declutching technique not only means I can drive all sorts of vintage vehicles that other people can't drive, but I also have a real feel for what's going on that most don't have.
Friction shifters are not unlike a non-syncromesh transmission
If he's going to ride upright, though, then for safety it really would be good to get the shifters up off the downtube. Especially if he's going to be riding in traffic at all. Having to bend down and grope around for the curséd shift lever while moving at 15km/h in traffic feels like a receipe for disaster.