The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Balaam \Ba"laam\, n. A paragraph describing something wonderful, used to fill out a newspaper column; -- an allusion to the miracle of Balaam's ass speaking. --Numb. xxii. 30. [Cant] [1913 Webster] Balaam basket or box (Print.), the receptacle for rejected articles. --Blackw. Mag. [1913 Webster]